Environment Agency Plans Sand Dune Repairs at Mablethorpe (UK)

The Environment Agency is to build up flood defences on the Lincolnshire coast which were damaged by December’s tidal surge.

Beach levels in front of the sand dunes at Mablethorpe will be increased early next month after the storm surge lowered sand levels and eroded the dunes.

Sand will be borrowed from other areas of the coast to build up the beach level in front of the dunes.

Mark Robinson, Agency Coastal Advisor, said: “The flood defences from Mablethorpe to Skegness played a vital role in reducing the risk to coastal communities during the surge. Inspections of the coast since then have identified that a length of sand dunes to the north of Mablethorpe were affected by the storms.”

“Beach levels in front of the sand dunes at Mablethorpe need building up to stabilise them and we are prioritising this work. Our Lincshore flood defence project normally does this but is not due to start for a couple of months so we have decided to move sand in from elsewhere to make sure the dunes continue to reduce the risk of flooding to people and property in the Mablethorpe area until Lincshore begins.”

Surveys have been carried out to identify areas of beach where sand can be temporarily borrowed from without affecting the performance of flood defences.

The sand in these ‘donor’ locations will then be replaced as part of Lincshore.

Robinson said: “We will work as quickly as possible to reduce disruption to local people although some inconvenience is inevitable because we will have to use lorries to help move the sand to where it is most needed. The area of beach affected by both sand removal and placement will be closed during our work. We will open the beach once we’ve finished and will close it again when Lincshore starts.”

Work to bolster the sand dunes is due to begin during the first week of March and is expected to take around a month to complete, although exact timescales are dependent on the weather.

It will then take another month to determine how much sand will need replacing during this year’s Lincshore campaign.

[mappress]

Press Release, February 20, 2014