By Isobel Williams,Monica Charsley

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Residents in a seaside village fear their homes could be washed away – with families loosing out on £600,000 . Locals living in Seasalter, near Whitstable, face selling their homes for a decreased price, or staying put until they are forced to leave due to rising tides. Alex West, 33, says his family home feels like “you are on a boat”, because the waves crash onto the windows. His father inherited the property from his grandfather, and has needed numerous makeshift flood defences built over the years. It comes as around 65 properties along the 1.4-mile stretch sit on the seaward side, which means they are exposed to storms. To make things worse, the Environment Agency announced it will begin cutting back defences over the coming years. Alex claims his family property was originally valued at £700,000 and the price plummeted to £100,000 before his cousin eventually stepped in to buy it. Speaking about the difficult situation, he said: “Things are only getting worse because the defences are falling down. I think the council just doesn’t want anything to do with it. When my grandad was here, he had to change the sea defences at least five times. We are now having to do it even more regularly. “We looked at getting it done professionally but they quoted us £100,000. Our wall is already falling down, and it was only built six years ago. We keep having waves crashing onto the glass windows at the back of the house. It feels like you are on a boat. My dad tried to sell it and kept reducing the price but nobody would buy it. You can’t get a mortgage on these, so you need to be a cash buyer. Now next-door are trying to sell so I don’t know how they will get on.” Another resident of 19 years, who wished to remain anonymous, added that they were concerned for the future but that they love the house too much to move. She said: “We are concerned about it. Since we have been here people have had to build their own sea defences. You can really notice when the tide comes in on that side. “I bought this house with my husband, and we renovated it together before he passed away, so I can never move, its too sentimental. Years ago people used to come in and replace the shingle to help, but they don’t anymore. I think that the council need to be doing more. It feels like we have been abandoned. Everyone on this side lives here permanently. We are the front line when the tide comes in.” However, not everyone was worried about the future of their home, with many saying that it is what you expect buying a house next to the sea. One anonymous resident of two years said: “We love it, and there hasn’t been a flood since 1953. I am an adult and I know that I live by the sea. It is a lovely place to live. I don’t know anyone here who doesn’t love it.” Councillor Naomi Smith, who represents Seasalter at Canterbury City Council, says a big storm could wipe out several houses and within a matter of years part of the street will be gone. She said: “People are concerned, but the Environmental Agency are going to protect the sea defences which are behind these houses. “It is a real worry for the residents and businesses down there. It just gets worse each year. If there was a massive storm it would take out at least the first few houses. It would have to be a big storm but it is more likely than not within the next 20 years. I have been told that part of Faversham Road will be gone in a matter of years. The rest will be an island. “The only solution would cost a huge amount of money and it would be a big tall sea wall so it would stop everyone from being able to see sea. And I just don’t think the Environmental Agency has got the funds for it. Our responsibility at the council is to make people safe and respond in an emergency.” Ward councillor Charlotte Cornell, who also represents Seasalter, says that she is making sure residents are aware of evacuation procedures just in case. She said: “It is really sad that people’s homes are under threat. We have been working closely with the Environment Agency, the Harbour Board in Whitstable, and officers at the local council to make sure residents are aware of disaster protocols and evacuation procedures and we will continue to do so.” The Environment Agency has stressed that the impacted properties sit beyond their clay seawall, which they say is in “good condition.” But the authority told KentOnline that from 2055 the next 50 years to 2115 will see the agency move towards a process known as “managed realignment”. This will mean abandoning the current sea defences and forcing the sea inland to a defence line that is yet to be precisely defined.