Bridlington Harbour to get shellfish industry boost

The dredger will clear safer navigation routes for shell fishing

A seaside town in East Yorkshire is to get a £1.2m dredger to maintain the harbour.

Bridlington Harbour is renowned for its shellfish industry and the vessel will help to sustain and clean the seabed.

The Harbour Commissioners said the dredger was essential to keeping berths and navigation channels clear for fishing.

The 75ft dredger is being built at the Ard Maleish shipyard on the Isle of Bute and will be delivered next summer.

It is thought the new vessel will also be leased out to other ports, bringing additional income to Bridlington.

Chris Wright, chairman of the Bridlington Harbour Commissioners said: "The Scarborough dredger that we had in the past was okay, but was a little bit too big for the port and it couldn't get in to the nooks and crannies where we needed to get to."

The dredger will take mud from the harbour bed to a licensed dumpsite.

Mr Wright said: "On this side of the North Sea there's actually a build-up of nine to 11 inches of mud per year. The harbour, being about four and a half hectares - it equates to about 12-14,000 tonnes, so it has got to be removed.

"We're really looking forward to this vessel arriving next summer."