May 10, 2023 10.00 pm This story is over 13 months old

£7m sand replenishment to protect Lincolnshire’s coastal communities

The annual work also makes beaches tourist-friendly
A yearly project tops up sand on beaches between Saltfleet and Gibraltar Point. | Photo: Environment Agency

Around 400,000 cubic metres of sand will be used to replenish sand on Lincolnshire’s beaches to protect from flooding.

Work will take place between Saltfleet and Gibraltar Point over the next seven weeks.

The Environment Agency’s annual beach management programme dredges sand from licensed seabed areas, which is then pumped onto the beach to replace sand lost naturally throughout the year.

Replenishing the sand on the beaches helps mitigate flood risks by taking the brunt of the waves’ force and energy, reducing the amount of damage and erosion to hard defences such as sea walls.

This will reduces the risk of flooding for 20,000 homes and businesses, 24,500 static caravans, and 35,000 hectares of land in the county’s coastal communities.

Since 1994, the Environment Agency has been restoring sand levels on the Lincolnshire coast every year, which also provides social and economic benefits by maintaining the sandy beaches for the tourism industry.

Deborah Campbell, Flood Risk Manager at the Environment Agency, said: “As well as reducing the risk of flooding to 20,000 homes and businesses, 24,500 static caravans and 35,000 hectares of land, the work helps maintain the county’s sandy beaches for us all to enjoy.

“But despite our best efforts, flooding can still happen. That’s why we urge people to prepare and plan for the worst, including by signing up to receive free flood warnings.”

Starting at Huttoft on 8 May, the work will progress along the coast in stages at these approximate dates (subject to change):

  • Huttoft, May 8 to 12.
  • Mablethorpe, May 13 to 15.
  • Trusthorpe, May 16 to 23.
  • Sutton on Sea, May 24 to 25.
  • Boygrift, May 26 to 31.
  • Chapel Six Marshes, June 1 to 5.
  • Trunch Lane, June 6 to 11.
  • Ingoldmells, June 11 to 15.
  • Wolla Bank, June 15 to 18.

Beachgoers are asked to stay clear of the worksites when work is underway.

The £7 million programme is part of the Environment Agency’s capital programme, a £5.2 billion government investment in flood and coastal defences in England to better protect hundreds of thousands of properties by 2027.

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