Sheringham RNLI activity suspended

An independent structural engineer inspected the building and its position against the cliff just before Christmas 2024, with the full report being available in January 2025.

Initial findings indicate that the lifeboat station building may be at the end of its lifespan and that fact, combined with what is already known about the land behind, has led to increased safety concerns.

Anna Heslop, RNLI Regional Operations Lead, North and East, said: ‘We have taken the incredibly difficult decision to suspend all activity, including lifesaving operations, at Sheringham RNLI immediately.

‘Keeping our people safe is our number one priority, it takes courage to speak up about what could go wrong, and that’s what happened here – but we don’t underestimate just how hard this is for our Sheringham volunteers who are, rightly, proud of their part in the RNLI’s purpose of saving lives at sea.

‘The station backs onto steep land that may be at risk of sliding forward. We had an inspection on our lifeboat station building and we’ve responded swiftly to initial findings about its condition.

‘A monitoring system has been in place – but, on further analysis on Thursday 30 January with a wider group of estates experts, the nature of the risk to the safety of our people was deemed too high to mitigate and manage by the monitoring system alone.

‘We want people to volunteer, and work, in the safest possible environment. The expertise offered on 30 January tells us that we must keep our people out of the station for now and have further work done to fully understand the condition of the building.’

Search and rescue cover is being provided by Wells RNLI and Cromer RNLI, Sheringham’s flanking stations.

RNLI Media contacts

For more information or to arrange an interview with Anna Heslop, RNLI Regional Operations Lead, North and East, please contact Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Media Manager, North and East: [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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