Coastal town's £42.9m flood defences completed

The project in Great Yarmouth refurbished 40 flood defence walls

A £42.9m project to refurbish the flood defences in an seaside port town has been completed.

Nearly 4km (2.5 miles) of flood walls in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, have been updated.

The upgrade should provide protection from tidal flooding to more than 2,100 homes.

Tom Stanley, project manager for the Epoch 2 scheme, said: "We are already seeing the impacts of climate change in the UK and around the world, which is why urgent action is needed to adapt the impacts of climate emergency."

Locations for the work included on the west bank of the River Yare between Breydon Water and the Haven Bridge

Great Yarmouth has a history of flooding, including the 1953 east coast tidal surge, and more recently, in December 2013 and January 2017.

The work, which started in September 2019, saw 40 flood defence walls refurbished at locations across the town, which should extend their lifespan by up to 30 years, the Environment Agency said.

It said less material, lower carbon materials and hybrid power reduced the project's carbon footprint, and it also created a new inter-tidal saltmarsh to boost biodiversity in the area.

The project was not delayed by the World War Two bomb which exploded in Great Yarmouth in February, the Environment Agency said.

A business case is currently in development for the next stage of the project.