Government cash constraints threaten the future of the Martello W tower at East Leane Point, near Bawdsey, Suffolk, which is on the brink of being washed away.
The historic tower, which has been valued at £5m, protects thousands of acres of land from the sea. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says it does not have the cash to save it.
The structure was one of four built between the Deben estuary and Shingle Street as part of the defences against Napoleon.
References: The Daily Telegraph 18/09/06 page 14
