Beach-front houses collapse into the sea

Heavy storms last weekend caused four houses at Guardamar del Segura to collapse into the sea on Monday and three others were badly damaged with worries that more damage may follow.
Two more houses are now shored up with sandbags and access to the beach is restricted with fears that the area is now dangerous.  The police expect that other homes, situated between calle Ingeniero Cordonui and Guardamar del Segura beach will be affected.  Part of the beach has also disappeared into the sea.
These properties, which date from the 1930s,  are built in a long row comprising 180 small houses. The porch and front of one of the villas collapsed at about 13.30 hrs on Monday and the rest followed just a few minutes later. Local police have not ruled out the possibility of more houses collapsing if the high tide continues to penetrate the subsoil beneath the buildings´ foundations. One of the houses on the same block was occupied at the time and had to be evacuated immediately.
The damage is being caused by the sea gradually eating away at the coastline in the area.
According to Manuel Aldeguer, a representative of the Town Council, 150 metres of coastline has been lost since the homes were built. The current situation has been aggravated by heavy storms experienced last week.
Following a meeting  this week the coastal department declared that it would not pay for damage to the houses and has announced at least ten will be demolished.
The department of the environment has rejected any suggestion that the seafront houses  will be repaired or rebuilt. High  Spokesmen from the department said that only maintenance work will be allowed on the houses and any new building is prohibited under the coastal law as they now stand on publicly owned land. Guardamar del Segura town hall has been told the houses will be completely demolished for safety reasons, a measure expected to affect at least 10 seafront houses. The rest of the houses, approximately 170, are destined for demolition in 2018.
Guardamar del Segura’s beaches have been suffering from serious erosion over the past 20 years as sea levels have risen. Sand no longer flows from the River Segura and erosion of the Guardamar and Elche sand dunes have affected the area.