Dr Cecconi says that between 1950 and 1960, the rate of erosion in the lagoon increased by 20 times.

ECONOMIST: Flood barriers

Photographer Neil A White's Lost Villages project documents this constant battle between the North Sea and the land in this part of the British Isles, one that endures the highest rate of coastal erosion in Europe.

BBC: Lost villages

We have already experienced a tremendous erosion of our manufacturing industry, a major cause of our depressed economy and high unemployment rate.

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