A Suffolk man has lodged an appeal against a court ruling that he needs planning permission for sea defences to protect his home.

Peter Boggis, 78, installed his own defences near his Easton Bavents home, but Natural England wanted the fossil-bearing cliffs to erode naturally.

In October, the Court of Appeal said Mr Boggis must apply for planning permission for the protection.

Now he has asked the Supreme Court if he can appeal against the ruling.

Mr Boggis said: “I am determined to do everything in my power to protect the little village my family established a hundred years ago from being destroyed.”

‘Scientific reasons’

In 2008, the High Court said Natural England’s decision to permit erosion for “scientific reasons” was unlawful.

But then the Court of Appeal quashed the ruling.

The sea defence work carried out by Mr Boggis and other members of his conservation group was done without planning permission.

The Court of Appeal said the only lawful course open to him was to apply for permission and go through the correct planning procedures.

Mr Boggis, whose house is now 269ft (82m) from the cliff edge, claimed his own soft earth sea defences had so far saved more than eight acres of land and four properties “at no cost to the nation”.

Natural England declared the area a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 2006, which prevented Mr Boggis from maintaining his sea defence barrier.

Story on the BBC News website