Parts of Britain's coastline are so eroded they are not worth protecting from the sea, the Environment Agency says.

Lord Smith of Finsbury said work was already under way to identify areas of the east and south coast most at risk.

He told the Independent that the UK faced hard choices over which coasts to defend and which to leave to the sea.

Lord Smith said parts of north-east Norfolk and Suffolk were in the most immediate danger of collapse.

'Huge issue'

The former culture secretary said it would not be possible to save all coastal homes from sea erosion, but that the agency would do its "level best" to protect places where there were significant numbers of properties.

"This is the most difficult issue we are going to face as an agency," he said.

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