STORM NEWS, NORFOLK!!!

 Boal Quay, King's Lynn at 7.50am.

Quayside, King's Lynn.

The Docks, King's Lynn.

 The road to Lynn Point.

This morning I drove to Boal Quay in King's Lynn before work with camera in hand. Parked on the carpark by the quayside. About eight policeman were standing there with a road closed sign. The tidal water was almost level with the quayside, but didn't look like it was actually going over. High tide had just peaked. I only took one picture before a very cross policeman instructed me very clearly to 'leave now' and would not allow me to take another picture. I left and then photographed from the closed floodgates in Nelson Street. Drove to the Docks where interestingly there were no police or road closure, yet the water was much higher and not far off the wall that runs alongside the road!!! Had to get to work after this.

HOLME RESERVES UPDATE!!!
This evening I spoke to Alison and Gary Hibberd at The Firs House at Holme NWT – they had to evacuate last night. All dunes gone up to the barrier behind the Firs House! A few pine trees on the beach. Water came up to the footpath (edge!) by the 5-bar gate half way along the Firs Road, but didn't quite come over – if it had, all the reserves etc would have been flooded – very close indeed! Sea crashed through the gap at the golf course and reached nearly as far as the Hun Bridge!!! The Firs House itself and observatory are both ok and were very, very lucky! The railway sleepers that have been embedded in the sand just past the toilet block at end of Beach road were re-positioned in front of the entrance to the Firs Road! One house was flooded - the big house opposite the payhut. Also pictures on the NOA website of the damage around the back of the pines near the NWT entrance from beach HERE

Cley and Other Reserves
This is all so terribly, terribly sad. Looking at Eddie's pictures of Cley on Facebook is heartbreaking. The North Hide and boardwalk have completely disappeared. Apparently I heard that the North Hide is somewhere at Kelling – possibly HERE! Dauke's, Avocet and Teal NWT Hides are half immersed in the middle of the sea! The West Bank at Cley has broken at the sluice gate. The East Bank is still intact. The 'Beach Hotel' as locals call it (sea-watching shelter at Coastguards) is still unbelievably standing! The Cley V.C. is ok as obviously on higher ground, but the bottom carpark is flooded.

The Blakeney Bank has gone and also another bank at Morston.

The sea-watching shelter at The Leas at Sheringham also gone – end of a sea-watching era!!! Can't believe I won't sit in that shelter again – massive part of the birding year!!! Also a big hole in the concrete below!

Hundreds of Seal Pups lost to the storm at Horsey, see HERE. Blakeney Point is inaccessible, so wardens are unable to access the loss of the seal colony there, but I doubt any survived – so sad.

All the dunes at Titchwell RSPB have gone – boardwalk smashed up, but Snettisham RSPB has been most affected with hides gone etc.

• The Floods – 24 hours in pictures HERE
• Regional Update HERE AND HERE
• Houses lost to the storm at Hemsby! HERE
• Sea rushes through Wells Boat House! HERE
• Cromer Pier Smashed HERE
• Damage to RSPB Reserves in Norfolk HERE
• Pictures from Marcus Nash at Cley and Salthouse HERE
• More News from Cley HERE
• News from Paul Eele at Titchwell RSPB HERE