Coastal erosion: 'Some people think we can battle it - but we can't'

He adds: “There’s no doubt about sea level rise. We also have subsidence since the last Ice Age. There’s no doubt because of climate change seas are getting stronger. All of these things are coming together.”

Over the last few decades he’s heard most of the potential “solutions” from taking shipping containers and filling them with sand to build a barrier or taking all the tyres in northern England and chaining them together to make a breakwater.

But he says the sea is far too powerful - it can take WW2 concrete bunkers which have fallen onto the beach and toss them about like Lego.

Installing new stretches of concrete defences fronted by Norwegian rock armour would be “phenomenally expensive”: “If we are talking about several million per 100 metres or so we would be getting into billions.”

It would also stop the natural flow of sediment into the Humber which helps build up low-lying areas, protecting them from flooding. Protecting against flooding from the Humber is also a big issue - sea levels are rising.

Mike says: “I saw a quote that if we stopped erosion in this area then eventually Lincolnshire would flood. There’s not really been any change to the policy we’ve had for a few decades - you protect large urban areas and industry.

“The cost of protecting agricultural land is more than the land is worth - it doesn’t make economic sense. The reality is we have a very soft coastline - you can’t afford to protect it all.”

The Victorians placed timber groynes down the coast which helped build up beaches at places like Hornsea and Withernsea before hard defences went in.

While Mike says there’s no doubt that the towns will continue to be protected by rock armour and concrete, Hornsea is starting to stick out. “It has been protected whereas either side is retreating.

“People are worried about setting a precedent (by allowing defences). If you protect one area it speeds up erosion downstream. Councils are scared they don’t want to do anything that will (leave them open to a lawsuit).

“I feel for people who are there but it can’t be a surprise. It has been doing this since the last Ice Age. There’s an adage that once you start managing an area, you have to keep managing it otherwise it reverts to something you don’t really want. It’s now catching up with them.”