Bournemouth coastal erosion: East Cliff beach closure for new groynes

The work will see two groynes replaced at East Cliff near Bournemouth Pier and then a further two at West Cliff

A stretch of beach at a seaside resort will shut for three months while coastal erosion mitigation works take place.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council said two groynes at Bournemouth's East Cliff needed replacing as their life had "expired".

An area of the beach will be fenced off near the pier - the promenade will stay open and beach huts will be accessible.

The work is expected to start on 9 October and be completed in December.

Two groynes west of the pier at West Cliff will be replaced between January and March, the authority said.

The groynes stop beach material moving down the beach at the resoirt

Councillor Mark Anderson, portfolio holder for environment, cleansing and waste, said replacing the groynes was "essential" to protect the coastline from erosion and flooding.

He said: "Timber groynes, which need replacing every 25 years, slow down the loss of beach material moved by waves and, along with beach re-nourishment, to protect the seawalls and cliffs.

"Without our groynes, our coastlines could erode by up to a metre each year."

The authority said the work would be carried out during the lowest tides "which may occur outside daylight hours".

Once the work is finished the beach will stay closed until the sand dries out and becomes compacted and stable underfoot.

The works have been funded though £33m from the Environment Agency for beach management across Poole and Bournemouth.