Normandy residents warned against increasingly common and dangerous landslides
Barriers are being put in place in some spots to prevent walkers from going near cliff edges
The soft chalk cliffs are prone to landslides in heavy rain
Anna Kuzmenko / Shutterstock
Residents in coastal areas of Normandy are being warned over landslides that are becoming increasingly common – and threatening – in the region.
Around 60 landslides are recorded each year along the coastline, but recently have become more intense as a result of higher rainfalls.
Heavy rain at the start of the year along the English Channel has led to further erosion.
The cliffs are made from soft, porous chalk which can soak up water and become too heavy to bear its own weight, causing rapid and sudden landslides.
Recent landslides have occurred this month on cliffs between Veules-les-Roses and Sotteville-sur-Mer (Seine-Maritime) and between Vauban and Port-en-Bessin (Calvados), leading to warnings on social media about traversing paths near the cliffs.
A video of the landslide in Calvados can be seen through media outlet France3.
In some areas, walkers are being asked to refrain from walking along cliff edges as landslides can happen at any moment.
“Walkers have to walk about 90 to 100 metres from the edge of the cliff. Because they can't imagine the danger - small rockslides can occur at any time,” said mayor of Sotteville-sur-Mer Marie-Hélène Changarnier to TF1.
Local prefectures in some coastal areas have placed bans on walking along the top of cliffs and directly beneath them, and some are installing barriers to prevent walkers from accessing these areas.
Last year, a couple in Manche became the first in the region to be forced to leave their home due to erosion.
Read more: Farming couple must move, first people displaced in Normandy by climate change
Coastal erosion across France
The issue of coastal erosion is not limited to Normandy but affects many locations in France.
A number of second homes in neighbouring Brittany were recently purchased by a local council to be destroyed as they were at risk of destruction from coastal erosion.
Read more: Brittany village to destroy coastal homes due to climate change risk
An MP from the south-west of France added an amendment to the 2025 budget of ex-prime minister Michel Barnier, which would see a small tax rise in notaire fees go directly towards a fund to combat coastal erosion.
Set to raise around €30 million per year for the fund, the tax rise would have seen a €10 increase per €100,000 spent on properties.
However, it was excluded from the 2025 budget of new prime minister François Bayrou.
