Darkness star 'angry' sea could take parents' home

The lead singer of The Darkness is "angry" his parents have been advised to move out of their home after being told nearby coastal defences will not be renewed.

Justin Hawkins said East Suffolk Council had informed his parents, who live in the village of Corton, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, their house was at risk of being lost to the sea.

Hawkins told the BBC he had been left "emotional" and did not think it was "good enough" that they had been offered a plot of land elsewhere.

A spokesperson for East Suffolk Council said defences at Corton were "beyond cost-effective repair".

"At the moment, I'm having a slightly emotional response to it because it directly affects my own parents, who are well beyond retirement age, and they're being asked to get up, leave and take a plot," Hawkins, now also a YouTube star, told BBC Radio Suffolk presenter Wayne Bavin.

"They've been offered a plot elsewhere in East Anglia, which isn't good enough.

"They don't want to live on a housing estate... I just think it's rude in a way."

Hawkins, who formed The Darkness in Lowestoft with his brother, Dan, said his parents had lived in the property for about 20 years and were in their 70s and 80s.

He said while his father was "pretty chilled" about the situation, it had taken "a while for it to sink in" for his mother.

"Whenever you talk to her about it, you can see how much it's affected her," he added.

"It's very upsetting. She's 83, so to be asked to take on a building project at that point is crazy."

Thorpeness, further south along the Suffolk coast, near Leiston, has also suffered extensive erosion, with houses lost in the past year.

The singer said he wanted to see the sea defences replaced to protect the community and it was "time for us all to stand up and do something".

"I think the way it's being handled, I don't think it is conducive to people who thought they'd move to Corton and spend the rest of their lives there, and perhaps see out their existence in that lovely village," Hawkins added.

"I don't think it's [the council] considering the impact of losing a community like that, but more important I think it's a really beautiful part of the coastline.

"It's really wild, inspiring and epic, and it should be protected."

The council spokesperson said Corton's promenade between Baker's Score and Tibbenham's Score had been damaged last winter and the footpath had been closed "to protect public health and safety".

The path runs over a coastal defence that was improved in 2003-2004, but was now at the end of its life and needed to be replaced, they added.

The spokesperson said when the council had looked into it in 2022, the cost would have been "approximately £26 million", and would likely be significantly higher now.

Funding from the Environment Agency could provide between £1.5m and £2m, but the spokesperson said the council would not be able to find the rest.

They added that homeowners had received "preparedness" advice for any possible demolition "should erosion progress to a point where the property becomes unsafe".

"When homeowners lose their home to erosion, they are eligible for a planning right for an equivalent plot elsewhere in the district if this is something they wish to consider," they added.

"This option has been discussed with Mr and Mrs Hawkins."

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