If my first day on the Holderness coast was odd, the second was utterly bizarre. In the early morning the coast was blanketed in a sea fog – or “fret” as they call it locally – and the dwellings along the cliff edge, which I got to see now from behind, were ramshackle, winnowed out by the gulf opening up in their former front gardens. And yet still people hung on here, despite the void encroaching beneath their feet. I headed south towards Hornsea, and passed through leisure park after leisure park, each one full of “static” (ha!) homes. (more…)

PARTS of Wales face a “New Orleans type” flooding disaster unless sea defences are bolstered, the leader of a coastal action group warned yesterday.

A report by consultants HR Wallingford in 1999 warned of grave consequences within 10 to 12 years for Tywyn and Aberdyfi, in Gwynedd, if action was not taken to strengthen defences. (more…)

In an opinion piece by Orrin H. Pilkey, James B. Duke professor of earth science, emeritus, in Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences on newsobserver.com, it’s pointed out that dealing with the impact of potential sea level rise is not limited to the UK:

In the United Kingdom, a highly visible societal debate is going on about how the nation will respond to sea level rise. Environment officials recognize that, from the standpoints of engineering feasibility and costs, the entire coast cannot possibly be defended. So the question boils down to what can be preserved in the rising sea level and what will have to be abandoned. (more…)

Bulldozers have been brought in at Medmerry to bolster its sea defences in preparation for some of the highest tides of the year.

The shingle bank at the low-lying area of Medmerry will be strengthened by the Environment Agency (EA) to prevent damage from the sea this autumn. (more…)

MOVES are being made to tackle the problem of erosion of the cliff face at Pennington Point, Sidmouth, and the safety issues raised by encroachment of the sea and landslips caused by heavy rain.

East Devon District Council is to review the current state of the cliffs with a view to the possibility of bringing forward a coastal protection scheme designed to give a degree of protection to Pennington Point near the mouth of the River Sid and reducing the threat to Eastern Town from encroachment by the waves as a result of coastal erosion and rising sea levels. (more…)

DIRECTORS of a thriving beach resort have thrown their weight behind controversial sea defence proposals for East Head and West Wittering and are urging others to follow in their footsteps.

Managers at the West Wittering Estate have given the thumbs-up to the Environment Agency’s (EA) plans to protect the coastline by adaptive management.

They also want to see East Head and Snowhill Creek safeguarded. The EA’s recommendations are outlined in the Pagham to East Head draft coastal defence strategy.

Read the full story in the West Sussex County Times

Bolstering Pagham’s sea defences needs to be done urgently, a senior county councillor has said.

Cllr Deborah Urquhart said: “This is a high priority because decisions will need to be made quickly to ensure a satisfactory standard of defence is maintained at Pagham beach.”

It was important to understand the coastal processes that were putting 160 properties on Pagham beach and a further 350 nearby properties at risk of flooding.

Quick fixes which could make the long-term situation worse should be avoided. (more…)

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to protect the county’s coastline from the ravages of the sea said last night that plans to vastly increase the dredging zone off Southwold could dramatically “speed up” erosion.

Marine aggregate companies want to dredge an area of seabed off the coast which campaigners claim would be 10 times the size of the current dredging zone being worked. (more…)

According to a press release, the RSPB has been forced to take radical action to save one of its best-loved reserves from the sea. To stave off catastrophe it has decided it must allow the sea to reclaim part of the reserve in order to save the rest.

Under the scheme, the sea wall will be moved back behind the present brackish marsh, which will be allowed to return to tidal saltmarsh. This will allow new and improved sea defences to protect the fresh water marsh and the reedbeds with their precious breeding bitterns from the rising tides. (more…)

The article in the Independent seems to have hit a nerve – here’s a summary of recent comments and reactions: (more…)