The UK beach named one of the 'most beautiful' spots in country could be gone in 16 years
The cliffs of the stunning beach have been disappearing at the concerning rate of 4.5m per year, according to the Shoreline Management Plan.
One of the UK's "most beautiful" beaches could be completely gone in as little as 16 years, according to a recent report.
The UK shoreline has been steadily eroding over the years, with areas in Lincolnshire, western Wales and Norfolk facing the greatest risk of damage because of rising sea levels.
But one part of Suffolk is disappearing at a much faster rate – with experts warning the tourist hotspot could disappear as early as 2040.
Covehithe Beach has seen its cliffs wearing away at a speed of 4.5 per year, according to the area's Shoreline Management Plan.
The beach is no stranger to erosion as geological studies have shown that approximately 500 metres of cliffs have been lost between the 1830s and 2001.
The settlement of Covehithe, which stands less than 300 metres from the shoreline at the moment, is expected to disappear into the sea by 2110 - with some estimating the beach could be gone within the next 16 years.
The small village is home to only a handful of locals who could soon see their farms, cottages and the Grade 1 listed church swallowed by the North Sea.
And little is likely to be done to mitigate the risks of Covehithe completely disappearing because of the strategic importance the village holds for the safeguarding of the wider area.
Effectively the village, which homes what was recently dubbed one of the most secret and most beautiful beaches in the UK, is being sacrificed to protect the nearby town of Southwold.
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The quintessentially British seaside town is home to a bigger community and plays a more crucial role in the local economy.
The Shoreline Management Plan noted in its most recent assessments that the continued erosion of the cliffs at Covehithe Beach could be used to defend other towns in the area.
The SMP wrote: "The erosion of the cliffs provides a major supply of sediment to the coastal system and this is essential for maintaining defence to other parts of the coast.”
Parallels have been drawn between the likely-doomed Covehithe and the village Dunwich, which was mostly lost to the sea as a result of aggressive erosion between the 13th and 14th centuries.
