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. (more…)