Massive landslide struck North Norfolk, UK

A massive landslide struck the coastal region of Trimingham, a village located in North Norfolk, UK.

The vast slide occurred on January 6, 2020, at a cliff located above the beach and some of the trailers at Trimingham House Caravan Park were left on the edge of collapse. "The fall happened some time this morning. Some of the caravans are very close to the edge. We are looking at a good half acre (about 2023 m²) falling, about the size of a couple of football pitches," Tony Garbutt, coastguard sector commander in North Norfolk, stated.

Most landslides in coastal areas occur as a result of coastal erosion which includes natural processes such as waves, winds and tides. However, according to reports, the landslide was not triggered by coastal erosion but by pore water pressure built-up within the slope due to heavy rainfalls that struck the region during the previous time period. The pore-water pressure increase destabilized the slope resulting in sliding. 

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service utilized a drone to scan the area near the site and make sure that no additional failures had occurred and no one was trapped in the debris.

Fortunately, there were no victims associated with the ground failure. From all the trailers at the Trimingham House Caravan Park, only one was occupied at the time of the collapse by a person who safely evacuated the area. The trailers that were close to the cliff were eventually pulled back. "There was only one person who was occupying a caravan who was in danger and she was removed safely with her child. We then removed all her belongings to render that safe and then we went about making the site safe so we disconnected utilities and there are about six caravans that really need to be pulled back from the cliff over the next two to three days," Mr. Garbutt, said.

The failure followed another landslide that happened almost at the same location on December 21, 2019. Authorities were aware of a potential new slide and had warned people to be extremely careful.

After the current incident, officials alerted people again to avoid visiting the beach as it is prone to further landslide incidents in the following weeks. "The cliff as it is at the moment is still unstable so there is still movement there and the next two to three days will tell us if there is going to be any further movement," Mr. Garbutt, added.