LEFT TO ROT
Inside once thriving seaside spot left to become a ghost town with abandoned homes and shacks falling into the sea
IT was once a thriving seaside spot popular with holidaying British families.
But Skipsea in East Yorkshire is now a ghost town, with abandoned homes and shacks left to fall into the sea.
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Buildings are at "imminent risk" of tumbling into the waves because of rapid erosion on the North Sea coast.
Rows of houses teeter on crumbling cliffs, and residents are counting down the days until their properties inevitably take the plunge.
Jimmy Mac, who live there with his partner Megan Shaw, previously said: "Look what we're losing. It's beautiful, isn't it?
"It's a dream home. It's just a shame. I don't want to move from this house.
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"But I don’t know if I’m going to wake up with the sea in my bed."
Elsewhere in the tiny village, ramshackle structures sit untouched and signs warn visitors to stay away.
One particularly menacing notice reads: "Danger. Do not proceed."
Further down Green Lane lies an old arcade with smashed-in windows and graffiti-covered walls.
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The only suggestion of the area's once booming trade is Skipsea Sands Holiday Park.
The caravan and camping site remains open to tourists but its Tripadvisor reviews are becoming less frequent and more negative.
Years ago, scores of people seemingly stayed happily every month, loving the views, facilities and family vibe.
But in 2022, it came under criticism for its "tired" appearance and alleged rat infestation.
Writing for , Megan Banner, who visited Skipsea earlier this week, said: "It just lies rejected and unloved.
"I saw around two people during my whole visit - nothing in comparison to Filey and Bridlington just up the coast.
"It's exactly what I imagined an 80s caravan holiday to be like, exactly like my parents and grandparents would describe, just nothing has changed or modernised since then - it was just left to rot.
"It's like people here are just waiting for their indefinite fate."
In 2021, Skipsea had a population of just 678 people - the majority in their 60s.
Millions of pounds is being pumped into saving the small coastal community, but it may not be enough.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the £36million, split between East Riding of Yorkshire Council and North Norfolk District Council, would help locals to "prepare and plan" for the worst.
A spokesperson added: "These two locations are already living with the challenges of coastal erosion and between them include 84 per cent of the properties at risk of coastal erosion in England over the next 20 years."
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James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said in June last year: "While we can come back safely after most river flooding, there's no coming back for land that coastal erosion has taken away or which a rising sea level has put permanently or frequently under water.
"Which means that in some places the right answer will have to be to move communities away from danger."
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