'I'll have to demolish my clifftop home - despite raising £250k for sea defences'

'I'll have to demolish my clifftop home - despite raising £250k for sea defences'Sophie Marple moved her dream home 12 years ago due to erosion fears. Now she may have to demolish it for goodCommentsNewsHoward Lloyd Regional content editor11:29, 15 Apr 2026View 4 ImagesSophie Marple at her home in Thorpeness (Image: SWNS)A villager who helped secure more than £300,000 for sea defences to stop homes falling into the sea has discovered her own property is not going to be protected - and will likely have to be demolished. Sophie Marple, 55, has lived in Thorpeness, Suffolk, for more than 20 years and has seen 11 properties demolished before they tumbled into the sea.‌Sophie has rallied alongside other residents to fundraise and lobby for defences along the coastline to safeguard and futureproof the properties remaining. East Suffolk Council announced earlier this year that it would spend £300,000 on more protection after temporary rock bags, paid for by residents, were placed along the shore.‌But Sophie was left shocked to hear empty plots of land will get the defences - but she and her neighbour, Meg Walker, will miss out. Sophie said: "It is absolutely unjust.‌"We are all facing the same erosion and the same risk so to say that we don't count and demolition is the only option has left me gobsmacked. I'm not asking for any preferential treatment - the reality is this is a national problem. It is being pushed onto the homeowner. We've raised money for our own defences, had our own surveys carried out."The council just say crack on. They haven't got the money or the people with the expertise to give advice - the only thing they've done is offer to cover the cost of demolition."View 4 ImagesView of Sophie Marple's home on the Suffolk coast(Image: SWNS)‌Erosion has resulted in the loss of 27 metres of cliff in the last year, while the fence at the back of Sophie's property is now just three metres from...