60,000 metres of shingle 'crucial' to protecting Seaford homes and businesses

The bi-annual maintenance work to the East Sussex beach maintains protection for the town from coastal flooding, providing a soft engineered flood defence that reduces the impact of high tides and storms on the sea front.

Nick Grey, Flood and Coastal Risk Manager at the Environment Agency said: “Sea levels are projected to rise by over one metre in the south of England over this century, and with more frequent powerful storms also predicted, the risk of increased coastal erosion and flooding is likely.

“As we enter the winter months, it is essential that the shingle beach is maintained to ensure it continues to provide protection to homes and businesses in Seaford.”

The Environmental Agency say they have identified this work as the most cost-effective method for maintaining the 4km shingle beach.

Over time, natural coastal processes along the beach move shingle away from the central section of the beach to the northwest (West Beach) and southeast (Splash Point) depending on prevailing wind and wave direction.

To maintain the required standard of protection along the full length of the frontage, the Environment Agency typically moves up to 60,000 cubic metres of shingle in each recycling phase, back to the centre of the beach.

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The shingle is loaded into lorries by an excavator, which then transport the material to where it is needed. Bulldozers then position the material into the beach profile.