A SECTION of clifftop has collapsed just feet away from a row of holiday caravans.

An emergency sea defence scheme, using 5,000 tonnes of rock, is now under way at Hopton to prevent further problems, as legal arguments continue over what is causing the adjoining beach to erode.

The latest collapse – the first affecting the top of the cliffs – forced Hopton Holiday Village to move three caravans away from the edge.

It happened the night after the site’s operator, Bourne Leisure, publicly accused the Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour development of causing the erosion.

Outer Harbour bosses insist the port is not at fault, and claim erosion has happened naturally for decades.

But Brian Hardisty, chairman of Hopton Coastal Action Group, said it was imperative that Bourne pressed for a solution before it was too late. “They’ve come in just the nick of time,” he said. “We had a serious cliff fall. This is the first fall of the cliff that’s been from the top.”

Work is now under way to shore up the cliffs, with engineers focusing their efforts on the spot below where the collapse happened. Giant rocks are being piled up to protect the steel and timber revetments.

Funding for the work has been agreed, with £500,000 coming from Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Bourne Leisure.