Work to repair 'failing' harbour walls begins

The council said parts of the seawalls were already starting to fail

A 10-month programme to replace and strengthen two harbour walls is beginning after months of delays.

Dorset Council said the walls of the peninsula in Weymouth needed to be "replaced urgently to prevent failure".

Work had been due to start last winter but was halted due to "factors beyond the council's control".

Temporary traffic lights will be in place for the first phase of the work, which begins on Monday.

Sinkholes have already appeared on the peninsula, indicating the walls are failing

Access to the pavilion car park will also be restricted and a small part of the beach closed.

Place services councillor Jon Andrews said minor sinkholes had appeared around the walls, indicating they were "already failing".

They were last repaired in 1977 by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

New walls will be installed in front of the existing structure and will be higher to protect the peninsula from predicted sea level rises until the year 2100.

A raised public walkway will be built behind them so people can still enjoy the panoramic views.

The council said part of the pavilion car park would be closed to the public during the work

Mr Andrews said: "This work will be very much dependent on weather and sea conditions, and we've designed the programme to lessen the impact as much as possible to local people, visitors and businesses.

"We are very grateful for everyone's understanding and patience."

Work was unable to start in the summer because the seagrass along part of the wall is home to breeding seahorses.

Following the work, the seagrass will be restored and monitored to ensure there has been no detrimental effect to the protected species.