South Tyneside Council agrees order for A183 coast road

A section of road close to the clifftop will be moved further inland

A council has agreed the compulsory purchase of land to allow a coast road at risk of being lost to erosion to be moved.

South Tyneside Council said the A183 Coast Road between South Shields and Whitburn runs too close to the top of "crumbling cliffs".

It plans to move the road further inland but had to buy the land from the National Trust.

The National Trust said it supported the scheme.

The council had previously said repositioning the road between the old Lime Kilns and a caravan site near Marsden Grotto would "extend the lifespan by about 50 years".

Moving the pink stretch of road to the grey area would extend its lifespan by about 50 years, the council said

Although the National Trust agreed with the deal, the council still had to go through the formal process of making a compulsory purchase order for the land, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Jim Foreman, cabinet member for housing and transport, said there was an "urgency" for the works to happen "due to the effects of coastal erosion and the formation of caves within the cliff face at this point".

Highways works will move the A183 away from the clifftop at the tightest point, while the existing road space will be returned to the National Trust and turned in to grassland.

A longer-term option looking beyond 50 years will be explored once the new road is in place.

Detailed designs are being finalised and the council is currently seeking a contractor with a view to starting on the site later this year.