Nearly 200,000 homes and businesses in England are at risk of being lost to sea level rise by the 2050s, around five times more than previously believed, a new study suggests.

       Researchers at the University of East Anglia have said that up to 195,000 properties along the English coast could be destroyed by sea level rise by the 2050s, compared with previous estimates of 30,000 to 35,000.

       The study looked at how many English properties will be threatened by coastal flooding - specifically, those where improving defences to protect them would be too costly or difficult.

       By 2050, mean sea levels around England are forecast to rise by about 35cm, as rising temperatures melt glaciers and ice caps.

       The study predicted the worst hit locations will be North Somerset - which could lose more than 30,000 properties by 2080 - Wyre, in Lancashire, and Swale in Kent.

       A further 100,000 homes are expected to be lost to coastal erosion as a result of rising sea levels, according to estimates from the Government’s Climate Change Committee (CCC).

       The study is published on Wednesday in the journal 'Oceans and Coastal Management', and was led by Paul Sayers, an expert on flood and coastal risks at University of East Anglia and advisor to the CCC.

       The study argues that England faces "a transformational challenge" as a result of climate change impacting coast lines. But it says there is a "lack of clarity as to how this transition will be made, particularly when it would impact communities".

       The study comes after the head of the Environment Agency warned that some seaside communities would be forced to move because of coastal erosion, which would be too expensive to try and defend against.

       Sir James Bevan said it was an "inconvenient truth" that some communities "cannot stay where they are".

       "There is no coming back for land that coastal erosion has taken away or that a rising sea level has put permanently or frequently under water," he said.

       The 700 residents of Fairbourne in Wales are among those that are already being forced to move because of rising water levels.

       "We need to have honest conversations with coastal communities that it will simply not be possible to protect every house and business from sea level rise," Professor Jim Hall, professor of climate and environmental risks at the University of Oxford, said.

       "These changes are coming sooner than we might think and we need to plan now for how we can adjust, including a nationwide strategic approach to deciding how to manage the coast sustainably in the future."