HOLIDAY park owners are being forced to build a seawall – because the Environment Agency has refused to pay for flood protection.

Park Resorts, which runs Coopers Beach holiday park in East Mersea, is one of three landowners having to take action to hold back the sea.

Essex County Council, which runs the Outdoors youth camp, and Land Management Farms, which has several hundred acres of arable and marsh land, are also involved.

Between them they own 50 acres of land so poorly defended it could be breached this winter.

The Environment Agency has told landowners it can no longer justify maintenance work to the seawall and has given three months’ notice of its withdrawal.

Read the full story in today's Gazette.