Swanage: Wave barriers murals battered by Storm Ciarán to stay put

Panels left severely scratched and damaged will stay as a reminder of the storm

Damage to two murals painted on wave barriers will not be replaced or patched up, a council has said.

The grey blocks were displaced by huge waves along Swanage seafront in Dorset during Storm Ciarán last Thursday.

Barriers at Monkey Beach were flipped over and dragged along the road near the pier leaving deep scratches in the artwork.

They were put back in place by Swanage Town Council within hours after the storm.

The barriers were tipped over during the storm

The defences, in four locations on the seafront, recently had 70 painted panels added to them to form an art trail and make them easier for visually impaired people to see.

The council said it had decided, after discussions with artist Andy Knill who created two two murals, to "leave them as they are to tell the story and power of the sea".

It said two new panels marking the storm were being created along with text to explain what happened.

The barriers are put in place each year by the Environment Agency (EA) between October and April to help protect the town from coastal flooding.

The barriers are put in place each year to help protect the town from coastal flooding

The Flooding Swanage with Art trail took eight weeks to create and starts at The Mowlem Slipway.

It was put together by six local artists alongside three schools, youth clubs, scout groups and Allsort'd which supports young disabled people in the town.

Artist Mr Knill is also set to lead four one hour-long free guided walks.

The panels, installed on to the concrete blocks by Swanage Town Council, will be taken down in the spring and reinstalled in the autumn.

Dorset Council said it was working with the EA and the town council to reach a permanent flood protection solution for the resort.

They were found to be too grey for people to safely see the contrast between the blocks and the pavement

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