Nuclear bunker at mercy of sea after collapsing

2 hours ago

David McKennaEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire

News image — Amateur historian Davey Robinson, who has been filming its final days, says he believes it fell at some point in the night

Joe Bilton/BBC Still shot of the bunker at foot of the cliff. It is leaning into the collapsed cliff face and is surrounded by rock and sand. — Amateur historian Davey Robinson, who has been filming its final days, says he believes it fell at some point in the night

A nuclear bunker that was teetering on the edge of a rapidly eroding cliff is now at the mercy of the sea after collapsing further.

The brick building, near Tunstall, East Yorkshire, is believed to be almost 70 years old and was designed as a monitoring post in the event of a nuclear war.

Amateur historian Davey Robinson, who has been filming its final days, said he believed it fell at some point in the night.

The area has some of the fastest eroding coastline in the UK, according to the Environment Agency.

Davey Robinson and Tracy Charlton, Robinson is wearing a black jacket, hat and scarf and has his arm around Charlton, who is wearing a red coat, hat and scarf. Both are looking towards the camera smiling. — Davey Robinson and Tracy Charlton have been documenting the impact of erosion in the area

The clifftop bunker was one of a number of nuclear monitoring posts around the UK, according to the historical research group Subterranea Brittannica.

Known as the Tunstall ROC (Royal Observer Corps) Post, it is believed to have been built in 1959 and decommissioned in the early 1990s.

Robinson and his partner, Tracy Charlton, said their YouTube channel videos of the bunker had attracted interest from all over the world.

The latest footage shows the bunker sitting at the foot of the cliff, although appearing largely intact.

Robinson previously said it was a "symbol of erosion in this area", adding that they would continue to document what happened going forward.

Timothy's Travels Still shot of the bunker at foot of the cliff taken from drone footage. There are waves hitting the structure which appears to be largely intact. — The latest position of the bunker taken from drone footage of the site

East Riding of Yorkshire Council previously urged people to avoid the area, both at the clifftop and on the beach, and "always maintain a safe distance to the base of eroding cliffs due to the risks associated".

The Holderness coastline is eroding at an average annual rate of about 6.5ft (2m), according to the Environment Agency.

Approximately 3 miles (5km) of land is thought to have been lost since Roman times, including 23 villages, according to Internet Geography.