The Clarke family, who have fished the waters off Sea Palling for more than a century, are currently locked in a planning dispute with their neighbours in the Marrams over building works at their yard.

The latest flashpoint in the row saw another family, who own a collection of holiday homes, claim recent work, including putting down hardcore surfacing led to their properties being flooded in the past two years.

The yard has been used by the fishermen for decades (Image: Submitted)

But Jason Clarke, who is the third generation of his family to fish, has hit back at these claims, instead blaming a burst water main and exceptionally high levels of rainfall for the flooding issues.

To support this, he has photographs of Anglian Water engineers in the midst of fixing a burst main.

A burst water main caused large volumes of water to spill out (Image: Jason Clarke)

In addition, the months of January and February 2024, when some of the flooding is reported to have happened, were among the wettest on record.

The long periods of torrential rain caused problems with persistent high groundwater levels in many parts of the country, including the Broads and along the eastern coast.

Homes along the Marrams in Sea Palling (Image: Google)

Mr Clarke said: “It was the wettest January and February on record and we also had this burst water main next to their house.

“It feels disingenuous. I don’t see how you can blame a few fishing boats for that.

“This is my livelihood. We have been fishing here since the late 19th century.

“It is becoming quite a bitter battle.”

Richard Clarke, a third generation fisherman (Image: Jack Warren, Newsquest)

The fishermen are currently waiting for North Norfolk District Council to make a decision on a planning application, which is seeking retrospective permission for the expansion at the yard.

The dispute emerged after the Skinner family, which own several properties behind the yard, complained about being disturbed by the “intensification” at the site.

Mr Clarke added he was confused why the family would seek to purchase another property in the Marrams recently, if they had flooding concerns.

Despite the dispute, the fisherman said they had been “humbled” by the outpouring of support for them from the local community.