Stormy high tides during the last week have caused more erosion along the coastline at Burnham-On-Sea, Brean and Berrow, prompting some concerned residents to start repairing the sand dunes.
The dunes have been cut back up to three metres during the past month in several places at Brean and Berrow.
Over the weekend, equipment was brought in to move sand up the beach in a bid to reinforce and strengthen the dunes, as pictured here.
Barry Kew, Chairman of Berrow Parish Council, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “I have walked the whole beach in recent days and the erosion is horrendous in some parts.”
“A lot of the dunes have been washed away in several spots between Berrow Church and the St Christophers Road entrance. The storms early in January took a lot of sand out, and the high tides over the past week were then able to cause further damage.”
He added: “It’s good to see some of the local residents and businesses doing work to shore up the dunes – it’s a feather in their cap for doing that.”
Meanwhile, the past week’s high tides have caused further damage to the Berrow beach access road, which remnains closed.
Sand and concrete have been washed away from around the road’s surface, leaving a sharp drop at the end that could damage vehicles, as pictured here.
Council contractors are due to carry out further repairs this week to enable to road to re-open.
Further along the coastline at Brean, the garden walls of several beach-front homes now back straight onto the beach with no line of dunes in front after further sand was washed away over the past month, as pictured below.
In Brean, the council has installed special barriers in several spots to allow paths to stay open for walkers accessing the beach over the dunes.
But Sedgemoor District Council’s landscape officer, Janette Burton, told Burnham-On-Sea.com the residents should not be too concerned. “Whilst it may look extensive, the dune system is a naturally formed geographical feature and the sand will return on other tides – an example of Mother Nature healing itself.”
“The dunes are natural land forms which are shaped by winds and tides. We are sure that any damage done will remedy itself in the course of nature.”
