The salt and fresh water marshes used to be very well protected . However the cost of replenishing the shingle spit grew too much for the village to sustain . Once the repairing stopped , it became easier for waves to get through ; in 1953 a large storm , measured at above ordnance datum ( see North Sea flood of 1953 ) hit the North Norfolk coast and the shingle ridge was mostly destroyed . A further storm surge in 1978 measured above ordnance datum and the protection measures confined flooding to the marshes and A149 coast road . The North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan introduced by the Environment Agency has proposed a number of strategies in the light of continual erosion and predicted rising sea levels caused by global warming : these include '' Advance the line '' , '' Hold the line '' , '' Managed retreat '' and '' Do nothing '' . Even after extensive public consultation there is widespread local concern that the marshes will be lost to the North Sea
North Sea flood of 1953
North Sea flood of 1953
Cley next the Sea