Work to start on coastal defences (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Sea defences to be reinforced at Seaton Carew from April

4:19pm Monday 11th March 2013 in News By Julia Breen

SEA defences at Hartlepool are being strengthened in a £4.3m scheme to combat coastal erosion and flooding.

At the start of April a 700-metre stretch of coastline at Seaton Carew will be improved as part of the second phase of work.

The first phase, carried out in the autumn, involved excavating the beach sand to a depth of five metres and replacing it with stone foundation buried under the sand.

Now a concrete-clad sea wall will be built to the same height as the existing sea well, and the promenade will be widened.

The scheme is expected to be finished by the end of October and is being funded by the Environment Agency, Hartlepool Council and Northumbrian Water.

The council also plans to improve defences along the whole of Hartlepool’s northern coastline, from Newburn Bridge to the boundary with County Durham.

The deteriorating Headland sea defence wall would also be reinforced. The schemes are seen as a priority because it is estimated that if nothing is done, in 100 years more than 500 homes in the area could be lost due to coastal erosion and flooding.