Cliff-top homes left perching 40 metres above the sea after huge landslide

The owners face a nervous Christmas as their properties are threatened by a perilous plunge after tonnes of soil and sand tumbled down following heavy rainfall.

Drone footage shows the aftermath of the landslide in Mundesley, Norfolk, which happened in the early hours yesterday (Thurs).

Two homes are now within metres of the cliff edge, joining other properties that are under threat along the eroding coastline.

Filmmaker Paul Glenn described the scene as "shocking" and said it "almost looked like a cartoon".

He added: "It's shocking. It looks fake because the landslide is so big. We walk up that beach a lot and to see it covered in rubble is surreal. It's something that's happening more frequently than you'd like. Certainly, some areas are more susceptible than others."

The entire width of Mundesley beach was blocked as chunks of land were strewn into the North Sea after the landslide.

Coastguard officials said that the erosion was due to heavy rainfall that had rendered the cliffs "unstable".

Last January, holiday home owners were forced to flee their caravans after a huge landslide along the same coastline near Trimingham, around three miles from Mundesley.

A report by North Norfolk council in 2014 stated that the cliffs at Mundesley are "among the most rapidly retreating cliffs of the UK" as they are comprised of "weak and unconsolidated glacial sediments".

It added that heavy rainfall and wave action make the cliffs vulnerable to erosion.

The council has tried to defend the cliffs using measures such as concrete blocks and wooden barriers.

HM Coastguard Bacton said on Facebook: "Please be aware of our cliffs being unstable due to the recent rain. We have seen a substantial fall in Mundesley overnight, please do not go near the area.

"If you do see anything dangerous on the coast please call 999 and ask for the Coastguard."

Mundesley Cliffs is a 29-hectare area marked as a site of special scientific interest due to its marine and freshwater deposits.

It is in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.