Prom works continue in heavy weather

By Richard Cornwell

WORKERS carrying out emergency repairs to stop Felixstowe's prom collapsing faced fresh weather problems – but it was water from the sky, not the waves!

Contractors were forced to stop work as the heavens opened and heavy rain lashed the resort at low tide, ironically the best time for working on the beach.

Suffolk Coastal has called in experts to shore up the prom in Undercliff Road East after beaches dropped by six feet in recent high tides.

An old war-time bunker has been exposed under the prom and the contractors are shuttering the gap with metal plates to try to prevent the sea from undermining the walkway, which has been fenced off for safety reasons.

Huge rocks are also being placed on the beach, some used to plug a gap where groynes have deteriorated. Beach huts have been removed, but owners will have to wait several months to see if they can return to their sites.

Meanwhile, the Port of Felixstowe was back in operation again this morning after having to close last night because of the strong south-westerly winds.

Corporate affairs manager Paul Davey said Landguard and Trinity terminals were shut overnight, though ro-ro and warehousing divisions were able to carry on as normal.

High-level quayside cranes cannot operate in winds of more than 45 mph for safety reasons.

"The terminals re-opened just before 7am. We have a bit of back-log of lorries to deal with this morning and everyone will be working hard to get these dealt with," he added.

The heavy rain left many of Felixstowe's road junctions awash with water as surface drains failed to cope with the downpour.

The Orwell roundabout at the top of Hamilton Road was the worst affected with several inches of water taking several hours to seep away.