The first house in Hemsby, about 7.5 miles north of Great Yarmouth, was knocked down on Saturday morning, after high tides and strong winds saw the collapse of a stretch of road last month.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council, which oversees the area, said the decision to demolish the homes was taken with the permission of the owners because they were "not structurally sound and are unsafe".

It will take at least four days to complete the work, with tide movements meaning the wrecking machines on the beach can only be used for a few hours a day.

Simon Measures, chairman of Save Hemsby Coastline, who lives further up the coastline, said the feeling locally has been going "from extreme sadness to extreme anger".

He added: "It's a day-to-day strain. I, along with everybody else, we live on weather reports.

"If someone tells us there's going to be high winds we really panic."

Mr Measures said the community is "close-knit" and around 40 people offered to help those affected move out of the properties.

"We feel like we're being picked off one by one," Mr Measures said.

"Our life savings are in these buildings."

He wants more sea defences to be built in the area, which he believes would protect 1.3km of coastline and dozens of homes at a cost of £20m.

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Great Yarmouth Borough Council said the work could be "complex" and access to the area and the beach would be limited.

Those affected have been offered support and housing options, with council staff finding appropriate accommodation for those who need it.

There is also work taking place to remove vehicles and a caravan which were left behind when the access road was lost.