Work to repair Northam Burrows coastal erosion rubbish spill

Rubbish from the old landfill site was washed into the sea after it was exposed

Work has started to protect part of the North Devon coast and stop rubbish from an old tip being washed into the sea.

High tides caused erosion which has exposed layers of rubbish at the former tip in Northam Burrows.

Engineers have started moving and extending a row of boulders along the sealine to prevent any more land and rubbish being washed away, Torridge District Council said.

The work is expected to last three days and cost about £3,000.

The tip - dating back to the 1940s - was capped in 1995. Coastal erosion later exposed some of the waste.

Items including plastic bags, carpets and textiles were found.

Torridge Council, which is responsible for the site, along with Devon County Council and the Environment Agency have inspected the site and removed items of rubbish that were exposed.

It said it was re-aligning and adding to the "existing rock armour".

It was also working on making sand dunes slope more gradually in a bid to make them less susceptible to erosion.

The work needs to be completed by 13 November when the next highest tides are due, it said.