Aerial images of A12 emergency coastal defence works Benacre

And this striking aerial photograph of Benacre Broad shows just how fragile the border between land and sea is on this shifting shoreline.

The coastal lagoon south of Lowestoft is separated from the North Sea by the thinnest slither of beach, which is constantly under the threat of erosion.

This image was captured by aerial photographer Mike Page, who also took other pictures showing the emergency coastal defence works that are continuing just to the north of the Broad.

The emergency works are continuing at Benacre Pumping Station as captured on May 5, 2024. Picture: Mike Page (Image: Mike Page)

This project - to bolster the defences at Benacre Sluice - started last month amid fears that winter storms had left the low-lying area vulnerable to a breach from the sea.

If the current flood barrier failed, it would threaten not just the Broad but 37 nearby homes and surrounding farmland as far inland as the A12, which could see water depths up to 4ft (1.2 metres).

The emergency works are continuing at Benacre Ness moving north, as captured on May 5, 2024. Picture: Mike Page (Image: Mike Page)

Several diggers have been visible at Benacre Ness - as the area is known - over the past couple of weeks, shifting 6,000 tonnes of rock which were delivered by barge to the vulnerable area around the Benacre pumping station.

The station is at the mouth of the Hundred River, a waterway which drains a large area of the surrounding countryside.

Emergency coastal defence work is continuing at Benacre Sluice near Lowestoft. Picture: Mick Howes (Image: Mick Howes)

The reinforcement project is expected to be finished by the end of June.

The emergency works are continuing at Benacre, as captured on May 5, 2024. Picture: Mike Page (Image: Mike Page)

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "The Environment Agency own and operate the pumping station at Benacre that is located on the coast.

"This winter’s storms have eroded the flood defences either side of the pumping station and we are well under way in constructing rock protection works to prevent further loss of the defences."

Back then - Benacre Broad, captured in 2015 by Mike Page. Picture: Mike Page (Image: Archant)

The agency is also involved in the wider flood management project which will involve building clay flood banks further inland - however, this scheme currently faces a £25m funding shortfall.

NOT QUITE A BROAD

Despite its name, Benacre has little in common with the other broads found in nearby Norfolk and north Suffolk.

Separated from the sea by the sliver of a shingle sandbar, the Broad is a silted-up ancient river valley which is becoming smaller as the bar rolls back with the retreating coastline.

Its brackish waters have often been breached by tidal surges in the past as the lagoon has varied in size over the years.

Its remote nature - visitors must walk a long way on the beach to reach it - make it a popular spot for birdwatchers and it forms part of the Benacre National Nature Reserve.