Measures taken to protect cracked Exmouth seawall

Work is being carried out to reduce the impact of waves until full repairs can be done

A damaged seawall in a Devon town is getting extra protection as Storm Ciarán approaches.

Exmouth’s seawall in front of Sideshore, a new watersports centre, has developed cracks.

East Devon District Council (EDDC) said a temporary barrier of sand and a fabric membrane were being put in place to reduce the impact of waves from the storm.

Ciarán is set to bring strong winds and heavy rain to southern England and Wales when it arrives on Wednesday.

Exmouth’s seawall has developed cracks

BBC Weather lead presenter Simon King has warned of wind up to 80mph (130km/h), perhaps even 90mph (145km/h) in the most exposed areas of southern England and the Channel Islands from late Wednesday to Thursday.

Councillor Geoff Jung, EDDC’s portfolio holder for coast, country, and environment, said the affected section of the promenade had also been fenced off.

He also warned that a nearby footway and cycleway might need to be temporarily closed if necessary.

He said that, after the storm passed, further assessments of the damage and the required repairs would be made, and long-term solutions proposed.

Devon County Council said it would be monitoring roads and extra staff were on standby, including tree surgeons and gully suckers and jetters as the storm approached and hit the county.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, council cabinet member for highways, said: "As ever, we'd ask road users to use their judgement about whether it's sensible to venture out, and to do so with the utmost care if they do.

"With a lot of trees still in leaf, we're expecting that the high winds and heavy rain will bring down a lot of debris onto the highway, and making the risk of surface flooding in some areas more likely."

Updates would be posted by Devon Highways via @devonalert on X, formerly Twitter, officials said.

East Devon District Council said full repairs would be made after the storm passed