The Darkness star Justin Hawkins says sea may take parents’ home

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.”