THE owners of a coastal Somerset hotel which is on the brink of collapsing into the sea were forced to create a DIY seawall as a last resort to save their home.

The Blue Anchor Hotel is perched on a cliff top overlooking Blue Anchor Bay, near Minehead.

It has been at risk since wild weather conditions caused deep cracks to appear in the ground.

The family, who live and work in the hotel, fear a further landslip could have a "devastating effect" on the historic building.

Cara Strom, who owns and manages the Blue Anchor, was forced to come up with her own solution to the problem and created a 'DIY seawall' filled with 35 tonnes of stone.

READ MORE: Will Blue Anchor Hotel fall into the sea?

"We constantly monitor the cliff and the land as well as the building and noticed a very slight drop in level at part of the beer garden," she said.

"Further investigation showed that the sea had started to eat away behind the original 1928 seawall and that the land had slipped slightly behind it.

"There was an immediate danger of a losing more land and the very integrity of that seawall was in danger, we had to act and act quickly."

Workers created wire baskets as well as moving and filling them with 35 tonnes of stone.

Somerset County Gazette: FEARS: Cara Strom, owner of the Blue Anchor pub. PICTURE: SWNS

The new wall 9m long by 2.5m high gabion basket wall was then backfilled with 110 tonnes of soil, which was reinforced.

It will act as a temporary measure to protect the existing seawall that had become damaged from the sea's waves.

Mrs Strom added: "Indeed this scheme is only replacing the gabion baskets that were placed there in the 1980s.

"Unfortunately, those baskets have been gradually washed away since the last seawall enhancement that stopped just before The Blue Anchor.

"I have also appointed a company to monitor the movement and come up with a draft scheme, although my team and I know what needs doing for a long-term solution."