THE thorny issue of coastal erosion and what the authorities should be doing about it will be addressed at a public meeting.

Maverick helicopter pilot Eddie Todd, who has plans to protect cliffs near Aldbrough, East Yorkshire, using submerged reefs of tyres, is unhappy with a new coastal defence plan being produced by consultants on behalf of East Riding Council.

Although still a work in progress, the “shoreline management plan 2″ is expected to repeat the policies of its controversial predecessor when it is finally published later this year.

The first plan, produced a decade ago, said nature would be allowed to take its course along the East Riding’s crumbling shoreline, apart from towns, including Withernsea and Hornsea, leaving smaller settlements like Ulrome, Atwick and Aldbrough undefended.

The pilot – who is invoicing the council for the cost of putting on the meeting and his research – said: “All they’ve done is changed it from a policy of “do nothing” to “no active intervention”.

“All of the coast apart from Bridlington, Withernsea and Hornsea will be exactly the same as 10 years ago. The Coastal Access Bill comes out in October but Natural England aren’t going to make any beach access along the Holderness coast because it is eroding so quickly.”

The public can see the information gathered by Mr Todd between 3pm and 7pm tomorrow at Aldbrough Sports Hall on Garton Road. The public meeting starts at 7pm.

Story by Alexandra Wood in the Yorkshire Post