A pensioner whose house is crumbling into the sea has criticised the Environment Agency for not having done more to help.

Alex Relf's detached home in Selsey has just a few feet of land between it and the English Channel.

But he said that when he first moved in 28 years ago there was more than 30 feet of land between it and the crashing waves which have steadily eroded the shoreline.

Mr Relf, a builder by trade, rebuilt the house, which he bought from Chichester District Council, after it burnt down in a fire during the great storm of 1987.

He and his wife Gillian are now homeless after waves ripped off a bay window at the front of the house on Monday and came tumbling into their lounge.

Mr Relf said: "For the last two and a half days the water has been coming in everywhere.

"On Monday, we heard a loud bang. My wife went to have a look but couldnít open the door to the to one of the bedrooms.

"I forced it open and saw that it had been blocked by 12 inches of water on the floor. The window had been washed away and waves were coming in through the gap.

"This would never have happened if the Environment Agency had put in decent defences to protect my home."

Mr Relf said that if it was protected his house would be worth £500,000 but with the sea lapping at its walls, it is worth nothing.

Another house next door to his is also severely threatened by the sea and it is only a matter of time before both are claimed by the waves.

He hopes to claim on his insurance for the damage but says he is only covered for storm damage, not erosion.

After boarding up the damage, he has spent the last few days trying to salvage what he can from his home.

But with most of his possessions spoiled by salt water and soot washed down the chimney by the sea spray, the carpets and much of the furniture are ruined.

A spokeswoman for the Environment Agency said the sea defences in place at Selsey were to prevent flooding and that tackling erosion would cost £80 million.

She said: "We have been talking to the owners of the property for the last 10 years about the increase in risk and inevitable damage to their property.

"Unfortunately we all knew that this day would come.

"There is huge demand for sea defences around our coastline and we have to prioritise where we spend our limited funding.

"Unfortunately we cannot protect all communities from all erosion and all flooding.

"This area is home to 20,000 people and we must use our resources where they will achieve the most in the long term for these communities."

The agency, along with Chichester and Arun district councils, is in the process of developing a coastal defence strategy to manage coastal erosion and flood risk in the area over the next 100 years.

But for the Relfs, who have three grown-up children, that will not save their family home.

The couple have been offered temporary accommodation by the council in Midhurst.

Mr Relf said: "I'm heartbroken, devastated and frustrated that the Government that is supposed to be looking after its people is not."