Brand-new fibre-optic technology is being used to monitor coastal erosion in Trimingham.
Dr Jessica Johnson is leading the project from the UEA with a grant from the Natural Environment Research Council.
She says the tech is “completely new” and has “not been used in this way before”.
“We’re shooting a laser along the fibre and essentially measuring how long it takes for that light to be reflected back.”
They aim to detect vibrations and movements in the ground to predict when cliffs will crumble next.
Trimingham resident Richard Wallis has been losing his garden to the sea.
He said “it could happen at any time, at any moment… you’re dealing with a tremendous force here, nature.”
Elizabeth King lives up the road and hopes the new technology can help them prepare for the future.
She said “if we can get some knowledge of how the land is moving we can maybe do something about it.”
When thinking of coastal erosion, you may imagine waves smashing the cliffs and taking land with it.
This isn’t usually the case in Trimingham; water seeps into the ground and washes out of cliff faces, taking chunks of chalk and clay.
This makes the cliffs above unstable, causing them to crumble into the sea.
Jasmin Jessen 