Annual dredging at West Bay and Lyme Regis

To maintain the safe depths for the navigational channels and water ways in the area, Dorset Council (UK) will be dredging at West Bay and Lyme Regis.

Every year the accumulated sediment that has deposited over the last twelve months is removed from the navigational channels and used to build up the local beaches.

According to the Council, the dredging equipment arrived at West Bay on 12 February 2024. After offloading the equipment will then be towed to Lyme Regis where dredging will start a few days later.

Dredging at Lyme Regis must be completed by 5 March. The crews will then move back to West Bay where dredging will re-start and be completed by 28 March.

At Lyme Regis, the beach will be closed on 6 March, when the dredging operation is completed, and the construction plant will be mobilized to complete the process of collecting sand and putting it back onto Front Beach. This work is set to coincide with spring low tides. The beach will be opened again on 19 March.