Residents living on one of Europe's most eroded coastlines have been asked to leave their homes before Christmas so they can be demolished.

Eleven properties along The Marrams in Hemsby, Norfolk, have been highlighted as at risk and face being bulldozed from next week.

A few residents still living along the clifftop have been contacted by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and asked to sign a waiver for voluntary demolition.

They say they hve been told that demolition work will start on Dec 15.

The council said teams have highlighted several windows of time where demolition is possible and one of these windows is next week - but that most homes are vacant or derelict.

But some residents, who have not signed their homes over, say they feel they are being pressured into giving up their properties before Christmas.

The move comes just two months after some residents in The Marrams were handed advisory notices from the council suggesting they should move out.

No formal notice of condemnation was given at the time.

Locals say this is the first time they have been given a date following officials assessing their houses as being at imminent risk of collapse.

One homeowner, Eric Forbes, 60, said: "There's 11 of us, we've got coastal erosion on our homes. "

"The guy in charge of the erosion project, has decided to have all 11 homes demolished before Christmas. "

"Myself and 11 others. It's pretty likely, very likely. "

"He won't let us stay in it until after Christmas. Eight of the 11 homes will be made homeless. "

"I've got other options, but there's people walking around in tears. These homes are owned by us."

"I've lived there three years, some people have lived there 14 years. For some people it's houses that have been passed down by generations."

"He's talking about people receiving compensation five years' down the line. "

"He was talking about December 15, he said he'd bring in the demolition squad. We know about the erosion, but it's just how it's come on so quickly. "

"There's been talk about this but it was only very slight. There's no need for it to be hasty."

Great Yarmouth Borough Council said it is not legally possible for it to compensate homeowners at risk of erosion.

But the council can make payments for the lose of the land on which the properties stood and planning permission could be transferred to other plots.

The existing homeowner would receive approximately £5,000 for the planning rights but there is no free land or homes offered to those at risk of demolished homes.

Pascal Rose registered herself homeless after she was verbally told her home was at risk of demolition.

She said: "I feel like I'm now being bullied into signing this voluntary demolition form otherwise I'm going to miss out on the deals offered to me."

"With compensation, nothing has been put in writing. They will just not commit to saying 'We're definitely going to do this for you'."

"I've got to a point where they're trying to make it like I haven't got a choice. I have to hope the council is going to have to give me rollback land or compensation."

"It's absolutely heart-breaking. I've worked all my life and I thought I'd secured my future. I bought the property outright and renovated her to my standard."

"I still come up here every day to see how she is, make sure no one's broken into her."

Ms Rose also asked for support from the homeless department at GYBC and said she was offered a room.

However she has a tea-cup, disabled chihuahua and was told it would cost £20 a night to accommodate her pet - or £560 a month.

She added: "There's no guarantee I would even be homed afterwards."

"It's been battle after battle."

Carol Boyes, 80, who has lived in her house for 35 years, previously told the BBC: "I'm hoping I'm going to be here for Christmas."

"But the way things are going at the moment I can't see it happening [and] I've got no Plan B at the moment if this all goes."

"They have phoned me because of the bad weather but no-one's come near me and I'm left to my own devices."

"So I'm just going to stick it out to the end and see what happens [but] we're all going to lose out down here."

Simon Measures, who lives next door to Mrs Boyes, is the chairman of the Save Hemsby Coastline group.

Save Hemsby Coastline have strived to raise public awareness of the coastal erosion plight and are working to raise funds for sea defences in the area.

Mr Measures said: "The amount of support you get from the housing officer and the homelessness office teams is pretty minimal."

"They have to do the best they can with what they've got but we're in the middle of a housing crisis."

"A number of residents feel like they're being bullied into voluntarily signing over their properties for demolition. "

"They feel like they're being high-pressured into taking the deal offered by the council."

"We don't know what the sudden hurry is, why the deadline of 2027?"

"Great Yarmouth Borough Council have been aware of the issues on Hemsby's coastline for years. It hasn't just crept up on them."

"It's like standing with an axe above your neck, never knowing when it will drop."

Save Hemsby Coastline have also said the value increase between land with planning permission and that without it would be retained by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and this would allow them to buy additional land and continue this process as more properties are identified as at risk of erosion.

A spokesperson for Great Yarmouth Borough Council said: ‘'The council is working closely with the owners of properties impacted by erosion in Hemsby to help them understand the risk to their homes and offer support.

"The continuing and unpredictable rate of erosion means it is crucial we work with the community in a planned and managed way to avoid the very real risk of properties collapsing on to the beach and last-minute evacuations – something which is extremely stressful and upsetting for those involved, is a public danger and a pollution risk."

"Since some demolition will need to take place from the beach, with limited times when there are favourable tides, our teams have highlighted several windows of time where demolition is possible. "

"One of these windows to carry out the work is next week."

"Using money secured from the Government to develop a plan to help people adapt to coastal erosion, the council is able to fund these demolitions as well as providing housing advice where it is needed."

"The damage caused to the dunes at Hemsby by the recent Storms Amy, Benjamin and Claudia, is a stark reminder of the importance of working with the community in this carefully planned way."