WALNEY stalwarts have dismissed claims the island has lost 100 metres of its coastline in 30 years as “rubbish”.

John Murphy has dedicated his life to studying local nature and history.

While he does not deny that parts of Walney, Piel Island and other areas along the shoreline are suffering from erosion, he refuses to believe Walney has lost 100 metres of its coastline in the last 30 years.

The amateur naturalist also said there was no way Piel had suffered that amount of damage.

Mr Murphy, of Mikasa Street, Walney, said: “I’ve lived on Walney for 60 years and I have never seen erosion of that scale.

“100 metres? Rubbish. Absolute rubbish.

“I’ve been going to Piel Island for 60 years, Piel Island hasn’t washed away. Rubbish.”

Councillor Des Barlow, who represents North Walney on Barrow Borough Council, has been at the forefront of the debate surrounding coastal erosion on the island over the years, campaigning for flood defences to be put in place.

Despite his concerns, he also found the new claims hard to believe.

He said: “I have lived on this island for 45 years and no way have we lost that much.

“If it was eroding that fast, the whole island would be gone by now.

“Certainly if it was eroding that quickly, Furness Golf Club would be gone.

“Piel Island is only a small island, if 100 metres of that had gone every 30 years, the island would be non-existent.

“There is no way we have lost that in the time I have been here. I have seen what’s happened over the years and it’s nowhere like that, though it is bad enough.”

Despite disagreeing with the levels of erosion claimed to be taking place, Cllr Barlow is still keen to see more protection for the island.

He said: “Walney Island is not very wide as it is.

“If it is eroding at that speed, we soon won’t have an island left. “I think we should protect these historical sites, and most importantly, we should protect people’s dwellings.”

But Mr Murphy says we must learn to accept the future of our shorelines.

He says the land swept away from parts of Walney will re-form at another point on the coastline, continuously rebuilding and re-shaping the island.

Mr Murphy said: “It’s a constant natural process. That’s what happens.

“If you look at it from the other angle, at the potential loss of properties, for instance at Earnse Bay, that is a problem, and it is a problem that needs to be addressed in some way.

“But nobody can play King Canute, you cannot stop the tides.

“You can’t stop what is a natural process, or change erosion.

“There are some historical sites on Walney that are important, but how can you stop it? Building a sea defence is ludicrous.

“The whole beach is an area of scientific interest, so how can you build a wall to stop the tide coming in?

“If you were to bring in a bulldozer, you are destroying one of the most important natural habitats in the North of England. You certainly can’t bring in a big bulldozer, and build a big wall and stop the tide. You just can’t.”

But Cllr Barlow remains determined that something must be done to save the island in its current form.

He said: “I think especially where there are people living, you have to protect their lives and their livelihoods.

“I understand that it is a natural process and that would be fine, but not on an island like Walney, which has such a large population and is not very wide at all.”

The report carried out for English Heritage will now be passed on and used to plan what should be done to protect the coastline.

Meanwhile, the historical group said it would be doing its best to maintain local archaeological sites by other means.

A spokeswoman for English Heritage said: “English Heritage’s role is to ensure that protection of the historic environment is factored into government decisions on coastal defence.

“The results of the survey will be fed into the North West Shoreline Management Plan currently being developed by the coastal local authorities in the North West, led by Blackpool Council, in consultation with other stakeholders and the general public.

“The findings will also inform the way we protect properties in our care.

“Some work has already been carried out at Piel Castle, for example, to address the issue of erosion.”

Story in the North West Evening Mail