East Yorkshire peninsula still cut off following tidal surge

Aerial surveys by the Environment Agency show the extent of the damage at Spurn Point following the tidal surge on 5 December

Parts of the Spurn Point peninsula are still cut off at high tide after sections of the the land were swept away by last month's tidal surge.

Waves from the surge in the Humber estuary on 5 December have washed away parts of the road and punched holes in the sea defences.

The damage is still being assessed by the land's owners, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

It has appealed for volunteers to help tidy up the area.

'New landscape'

Terry Smithson, regional director for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said: "I couldn't believe my eyes when I visited Spurn; a new landscape has emerged following the tidal surge in addition to all manner of litter and debris.

"We are asking everyone who loves Spurn to come and help us with what will be the largest litter picking challenge we have ever faced."

The 3.5 miles (6km) long spit of land, which is a nature reserve, has remained closed to the public since the tidal surge.

A RNLI lifeboat crew based at the tip has had to move some of its operations to the port of Grimsby on the opposite side of the estuary.

Lifeboat coxswain Dave Steenvoorden said he had not seen such a level of damage before.

"On the actual operational side of the boat, no affect at all. It's everything else. It's the living, the shopping, the rubbish, the fuel, the electricity the water."

He added:" I don't think we'll beat nature, but we might claw a little bit back."