Sutton-on-Sea sand build-up down to council to clear

Sand build-up in Sutton-on-Sea must be cleared for the good of visitors and businesses, some residents say

Sand build-up at a Lincolnshire seaside resort will no longer be cleared by the Environment Agency, a council has said.

Sand blows off the beach and piles against the promenade, play park, benches and businesses at Sutton-on-Sea, after bad weather.

East Lindsey District Council said the Environment Agency has always cleared the sand but said budget cuts meant it would stop.

The council said it would have to buy new equipment to do the job instead.

Councillor Stef Bristow said the sand has to be cleared from the promenade - which is also the town's sea defence - several times a year.

"The agency would send heavy sand-moving equipment at Easter then another two or three times a year and follow that up with a team who further cleared the edges of the promenade and keep the drainage routes open," she said.

"We [the council] have been doing what we can with our very limited (and end-of-life) kit but [our] equipment was never meant to handle the amounts of sand that the agency's kit could, and has needed several additional repairs as it's essentially being knackered by the weight and volume of sand."

Shirley Mitchell, of the Cornerhouse Cafe which has been in her husband's family since the 1950s, said the sand issue needs sorting

Local businesses have said they are worried people will not be able to visit.

"People can't get up there with their pushchairs, bicycles, wheelchairs...," said Shirley Mitchell of Cornerhouse Café which has been in her husband's family since 1956.

"[The sand] can't stay, it's got to be on the other side of the wall," she added.

Ms Bristow said the council was "disappointed" the Environment Agency will no longer clear the sand but said the council has applied for funding for new equipment plus training in how to use it.

Some residents say the issue is down to winter weather and recent storms

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