Kent coastal flood defence project completed

The shoreline at Lydd is an internationally important shingle foreland

A multi-million pound flood defence project on the Kent coast has been completed after four years.

The Lydd Ranges sea defence scheme aims to protect the coastal area close to the Romney Marsh for the next 25 years, the Environment Agency (EA) said.

The project has taken place largely on Ministry of Defence firing range land and cost £40m to complete.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said the project would "help better protect this environmentally important area".

With much of Romney Marsh below high tide level, 14,500 homes and 700 businesses are at risk of flooding, according to the EA.

Lydd’s sea frontage is vulnerable to erosion and has suffered from the effects of recent storms Dennis and Ciara, the spokesperson said.

The EA said it worked closely with Natural England and the Ministry of Defence to plan the scheme and ensure the environmental designations remained protected.

Key elements include:

• Importing over 390,000 tonnes of shingle to replenish the beach

• Installing 33 new groynes over a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) area

• The use of recycled and sustainably sourced timber for groyne construction

Sally Harvey, EA area director, said: "This is a significant milestone in our continued efforts to enhance coastal flood protection.

“I am proud of what has been achieved in carbon saving innovation."

The project is part of a wider scheme to manage flood and coastal erosion in Kent over the next 100 years.