Chesil Cove's storm-ravaged sea wall re-opens

The Cove House Inn at Chiswell also took a battering during gale force winds and heavy rain

A storm-damaged sea wall in Dorset has been reopened following repairs.

Waves of up to 7.7m (25ft) washed away sections of the sea wall at Chesil Cove on Portland, during storms in January and February.

Large amounts of beach material was also lost - with the beach level reducing by 4m (13ft).

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said around £300,000 was used for the work from the government's emergency repair funding.

Ben Murray, of the council, said: "The work was crucial to ensure the sea wall continues to offer the same level of protection it was designed for prior to the storms."

During the severe weather, residents on the peninsula had to move to upstairs rooms or abandon their homes after flood sirens sounded for the first time in 30 years, in January.

The sirens were activated by the high water on three further occasions during further storms.

The Environment Agency is continuing to repair and re-stock material to Chesil Beach at Chiswell. These works are expected to be finished in the next few months.