People have been evacuated from a Suffolk holiday park after part of a road collapsed and left some of the caravans “dangerously close to the edge”.
The coastguard was called to Pakefield Holiday Park in Lowestoft after high tides and wind eroded part of the beach.
“The beach there is now a dangerous place to be,” HM Coastguard Lowestoft said in a Facebook post. The agency urged people not to walk along the base of cliffs at the beach, or use damaged steps at Arbor Lane.
“Some of the vans are now dangerously close to the edge and several people have been evacuated,” the post read.
“The beach at the bottom of the steps at Arbor Lane has now mostly washed away. There is now a drop on to what’s left of the beach.”
There were reports on social media that an object resembling a torpedo washed up on the beach – along with an unverified photo of what appeared to be an unexploded bomb in the sand.
A HM Coastguard spokesperson said: “Lowestoft Coastguard [is working] alongside Suffolk police and the military. An object was found on the beach early this afternoon and the team attended, put a cordon in place and the military are still on the scene.”
Suffolk constabulary confirmed they had attended the scene, but could not confirm the object was an unexploded bomb.
Local lighthouse Pakefield Coastwatch said the area was not safe for sightseeing after the damage.
“Heavy machinery, tractors and the like on the cliff tops. At the cliff base repeated cliff falls and landslides. Large chunks of concrete and tarmacadam are on their way to the beach as I write this,” a post on Facebook said.
The spring tide – when the sun and moon align causing greater gravitational pull and higher tides about twice a month – also affected Norfolk, up the coast from Lowestoft.
The higher tides led to the collapse of a road at the Norfolk village of Hemsby on Friday.
Hemsby Lifeboat warned people to stay away from cliff edges as the high tides and strong winds were creating “dangerous conditions”.
HM Coastguard Lowestoft said another high tide was due at 20:00 tonight. It said it would continue to monitor the cliffs around the caravan park through the weekend.
A spokesperson for East Suffolk council told the BBC: “The relevant authorities are addressing the impacts, and affected areas have been cordoned off as the extent of any damage is assessed.
“Known damage which affects ordinary access includes the steps down to the beach at Arbor Lane.
“Therefore, people are asked to avoid the area and stay away from locations which may still be vulnerable. There may be debris and the possibility of further collapse and public safety is a priority.”
