Sea defences removal becomes tourist attraction

Heavy plant machinery has been tearing down old, failing, sea defences at Middle Beach, Studland

Work to strip away sea defences at a Dorset beach has become an unlikely visitor attraction.

Huge machines have been tearing down old, failing, sea defences at Middle Beach, Studland, since the first week in September.

The work is to allow the beach to return to nature, providing a better environment for rare reptiles that have been moved to new, temporary homes to allow the work to get under way.

"At times we have had lines of people behind the cordoned off area watching the work and taking photos," said National Trust project officer, Kelly Marshall.

Although the work is likely to finish by mid-October it could be a year before the National Trust decides the beach is safe enough for visitors to return.

The material dug from the beach, including thousands of tonnes of stone and concrete, will be recycled or re-used, some of it for infill at Suttles Quarry.

All that is likely to remain will be the large stone blocks at the shoreline dating from the Second World War, which will be kept in place for their historical significance.

National Trust project officer Kelly Marshall said lines of people had been to see the work taking place

The National Trust said the work was a direct response to the effects of coastal erosion, accelerated by climate change, which had seen cliffs fall by up to 4m in a single night.

National Trust Coast and Marine Adviser Sarah Coggins said: "Holding the cliff in place with a hard structure like gabion baskets means that the shoreline is not naturally aligned with the coast.

"When waves hit the gabions, they bounce off and cause erosion of the sand in front of the defences.

"Over time, this has caused the beach to be submerged by the tide most of the time making it inaccessible.

"The effects might look extreme at first, but projections show that over the next 20 years or so the cliff will realign to become a gentler slope.

"This will help make the coastline more resilient to the impacts of climate change, offering more protection to the relocated facilities in the car park."