PARTS of Hartlepool’s crumbling coastline could disappear into the sea unless millions of pounds in funding can be found to make essential repairs.

Experts have described the condition of some sections of the coastline as the worst they have ever seen, with piers, walls, footpaths and steps all under threat of collapse.

Hartlepool Council has an annual budget of £320,000 to maintain and repair breaches to coastal defences but the estimated bill to carry out the major repair work stands at a staggering £41m.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s director of neighbourhood services, Dave Stubbs, said: “In terms of erosion, this is the worst I have ever seen it.

“The Victorians did a lot for us but they failed to provide adequate foundations for our coastal defences.

“Without substantial government funding we are facing serious erosion.”

Threat to Coastline

SECTIONS of Hartlepool’s crumbling coastline could be lost forever unless millions of pounds of funding can be found to make essential repairs.

Hartlepool Borough Council has an annual budget of £320,000 to maintain and repair breaches to coastal defences.

However, the bill to carry out the major work that will secure the long-term future of certain sections of the coastline stands at almost £41m.

Rising sea levels and waves from the North Sea have battered the coastline for years and that, coupled with less sand protection, means some sections of the coast have been left in serious danger of collapse.

The North Pier needs £600,000 to prevent it from disintegrating into the sea and £17m for a complete repair.

Meanwhile, part of the Headland’s Town Moor could be washed into the sea unless £21m worth of funding can be secured to protect its long term future.

Grant aid from the Environment Agency is handed out on a case by case basis but the process is very complex and lengthy.

It can take up to five years for construction work to begin once a project has been identified and that is based on a positive response being given at each stage.

Council officers say there are a number of coastal authorities in the same boat competing with each other for funding.

The council’s budget, which has actually increased from just £80,000 two years ago, also pays for promenade and fencing repairs. The average cost of a standard coastal defence breach is around the £90,000 mark.

The favoured and cheapest method of protecting the six miles of coastline, that the council is responsible for, is by installing rock armour.

However, it costs £10,000 for every 3ft of rock armour.

The staggering facts about the town’s coastline came to light at a meeting of the council’s neighbourhood services scrutiny forum.

The council is responsible for protecting its stretch of coastline from erosion by the sea, while the Environment Agency is responsible for sea defence structures which prevent flooding of land which is lower than sea level.

Expert consultants are currently carrying out a Seaton Carew study, at a cost of £716,000, and a Town Wall study at a cost of £482,000.

Both studies are being paid for by grant aid from the Environment Agency but that doesn’t guarantee any future funding for repairs.

Funding is provided on a priority basis and bids are submitted from council’s across the country.

The scrutiny forum held its first meeting earlier this year and the findings of its three month investigation are due to be published in April.

Councillors hope to gain an understanding of the problems caused by coastal erosion, to assess the long-term viability of the existing sea defences and to explore what can be done to prevent erosion.

The forum is due to meet again in March following site visits this month.

Cash short for ‘worst ever’

COUNCIL chiefs claim the level of coastal erosion is the worst they have ever seen but say their hands are tied when it comes to securing funding to tackle the problem.

Hartlepool Borough Council’s director of neighbourhood services, Dave Stubbs, said: “We are not trying to scaremonger but it is important that the facts are known.

“We are no different to any other local coastal authority and without substantial Government funding then we are facing serious erosion, particularly in the north and south areas of town.

“In terms of erosion this is the worst I have ever seen it. The Victorians did a lot for us but they failed to provide adequate foundations for our coastal defences.”

Mr Stubbs added: “The North Pier is the most at risk structure and the highest priority for repairs.

“It needs another half a million pounds worth of repairs just to stop it disintegrating and placing the Marina infrastructure at risk. It is increasingly difficult to obtain grant aid for capital projects and it is almost impossible to maintain coast protection assets and public access to them without grant aid.”

The council’s engineering manager, Alan Coulson, said the loss of sand from the town’s beaches has also contributed to the erosion of coastal defences.

Mr Coulson, said: “I have been working for the local authority for the past 12 years and in the past five years the situation has really deteriorated. It is the loss of the sand that has really contributed because that gives the coastal defences a lot of protection.”

Councillors have also raised concerns about the length of time it can take to secure funding after the initial problems have been highlighted.

Forum chairman Coun Stephen Akers-Belcher said: “I’m concerned about the amount of time taken by Government to distribute funding and I think we should look to put forward Hartlepool’s case more strongly.

“We need to lobby Government before we lose some of our historical areas such as the Town Wall.”

Labour councillor Gladys Worthy, of the Rift House ward, said: “We are talking about millions of pounds that is needed and where is that money going to come from?

“We need it now to secure the future for the next generation.”

Swallowed up by sinking prom

COASTAL erosion was blamed for an incident that saw a mum-of-two fall down a 6ft hole while she was walking her dog along the seafront.

Millions of pounds of investment is needed to prevent another incident like the one where Hartlepool woman Pamela Bamford fell through a section of Seaton Carew promenade.

The mum-of-two, of Meryl Gardens, in the Fens area of town, thanked her lucky stars that her injuries weren’t more serious after she escaped with cuts and bruises.

The cleaning supervisor at Brierton Community School fell into the hole with eight-stone pet dog Tosh landing on top of her.

Her cries for help were unheard and she only managed to clamber to safety after struggling for 10 minutes.

The collapse happened on the stretch of promenade opposite the Norton Hotel where the north shelter used to be.

At the time Mrs Bamford told the Mail: “It was unbelievable what happened. I just thank my lucky stars I am still here to tell the tale.

“Tosh likes to go down on to the sand, but the tide was in. So I was stood at the top of the steps that lead down to the beach just watching the waves lap up.

“I was there for a minute or so, then the next thing I knew the path opened up beneath me and I fell straight into the hole.

“The dog landed on top of me. I was frantic and I panicked.”

She added: “I honestly thought I was going to die. The more I was scrambling to get out, the deeper the hole was getting because the path was just built on sand.

“I eventually got out and I think it was just the sheer fear.”

Mrs Bamford, who was 44 at the time of the accident, was taken to hospital by husband Francis and son Peter.

The area was immediately sealed off by council officers who blamed the collapse on natural coastal erosion.

Areas at risk

COUNCIL officers have outlined four options for the North Pier and they include:
NORTH PIER, HARTLEPOOL MARINA

• Do nothing. But that would cause a risk of collapse and damage to the Marina.
• £600,000 to stabilise the fabric of the structure.
• £2.5m to stabilise the pier and prevent wave overtopping.
• £17m to carry out a complete repair of the pier and for it to be open to the public.

SPION KOP CEMETERY AREA, OLD CEMETERY ROAD

COUNCIL officers can either do nothing, which would lead to the erosion of the coastline, up to and including the cemetery, and that will take between 50 and 100 years.

Or they could invest £120,000 to appoint a specialist to come up with a series of innovative solutions to the problem, which could include off-shore breakwaters.

TOWN MOOR AREA OF THE HEADLAND

APART from the Town Wall area, the remaining Headland structures, including the Town Moor, do not meet the Environment Agency’s criteria for grant aided funding.

Council officers have highlighted three options for the Town Moor area:

• Do nothing: This would lead to continuous erosion and the eventual loss of the Town Moor, which would be speeded up if a serious breach happened.
• Spend £2.6m to stabilise the area for the next 10 years by making short-term repairs.
• The third option would see £21m being invested on the reconstruction of the coastal structures which could give protection for the next 100 years.

PROMENADE, RAMPS AND STEPS ALONG THE COASTLINE

• IF much needed work is not carried out then it could lead to facilities closing, unsightly fencing being erected and restricted public access to the beaches.
• Around £1.1m is needed to make short term repairs to increase the lifespan of some areas for between eight and 10 years.
• Finally, around £2.8m is needed for the reconstruction and repair of sections of promenade, ramps and steps, to increase the lifespan by 25 years.

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