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Sea wall under 'California-style' home badly damaged by waves

News imageScott Orr Three large gaping holes in a wall in Fife. The brickwork is dark coloured. The cliffside is lighter coloured stone.Scott Orr
The sea wall at Elie and Earlsferry has been badly damaged by recent stormy weather

The sea wall under a "Californian-style" home on the Fife coast has been badly damaged by stormy weather conditions.

Large waves have battered the privately-owned brick wall underneath Chapel Green House in Elie and Earlsferry since the end of last year.

Images show the beachfront property perched on top of three large caverns with collapsed masonry on the sand below.

Fife Council said the owner of the home was in the process of appointing engineers to investigate the damage.

The property – which replaced the former Chapel Green House on the edge of the wall – was given approval by the local authority in 2021.

It was initially meant to boast a swimming pool on its grounds, but plans were scaled back before construction was finished in 2024.

News imageScott Orr Brickwork on the sand and a broken wall underneath a house in Fife.Scott Orr
Debris has been scattered across the beach by large waves

One councillor said it looked as if it had been "parachuted in from California" when plans were first considered in 2019.

BBC Scotland News attempted to contact the owner of the property, but they did not respond.

Michael Anderson, service manager for structural services at Fife Council, said the "defect" had first been identified in December last year.

He said recent poor weather had "clearly worsened" the damage, but added the local authority would take measures to restrict access to the area.

He added: "Contact has been made with the caretaker for the property who indicated that the owner was in the process of appointing engineers to investigate and undertake repairs to the faulty section of privately-owned wall.

"In the interest of public safety, Fife Council will install warning signs, restrict public access to this section of coastline, as well as continuing to liaise with the property owner."