THE Government has ruled out providing help to tackle the problem of shifting sands at Tynemouth.

North Tyneside Council’s cabinet will be told tomorrow of the toll which winter winds and high tides have taken on the Blue Flag Longsands beach and dunes.

The erosion has left a sheer face to part of the dunes system which has led to the closure of some public access points.

The council has approached the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in an effort to secure funding to improve coastal protection for the Longsands.

But Defra has said there is a limited budget available nationally to tackle coastal erosion, and the Environment Agency prioritises funding on a national basis to address the highest risk areas.

“The sand loss you have described at Tynemouth would not meet the priority criteria for funding,” Defra told the council.

The sand dunes overlooking Longsands South Beach are an important coastal habitat that also serve as a natural sea defence.

The dunes have recently been planted with more coastal grasses to bind them while closely-spaced gorse shrubs act as a protective barrier along the inland edge.

The council has been working to improve the habitat in the dunes by protecting them from visitors through fencing work, which started in 2000 at the south end of the beach and was extended in two further blocks to the north in 2006 and 2009.

But this winter a combination of high spring tides and winds affected a large area of sand which was then carried out to sea by the retreating tide and dropped offshore.

A subsequent storm and heavy sea conditions had further significant effects on Longsands and dunes, as the lower sand levels allowed the tide to advance up the beach. The coastal road above the dunes was inspected during and after the storms.

“We don’t believe the highway is at risk at the moment but we will continue to monitor it,” said Derek Smith, council senior manager for engineering services.

Last week a section of cliff at Frenchman’s Bay in South Shields collapsed because of coastal erosion. Ed Hodson, North Tyneside cabinet member for the environment, said: “These sand dunes are an important coastal habitat and sea defence.

“I believe it’s vital that the area continues to be closely monitored so we can take action to protect the dunes whenever necessary.”

Story by Tony Henderson in the Journal