FELIXSTOWE'S “sand mountain”, which has been attracting a lot of attention from curious visitors, will soon be disappearing.Watching trucks and diggers trundling up and over the huge pile of sand and shingle at the end of Sea Road has caused endless fascination.

FELIXSTOWE'S “sand mountain”, which has been attracting a lot of attention from curious visitors, will soon be disappearing.

Watching trucks and diggers trundling up and over the huge pile of sand and shingle at the end of Sea Road has caused endless fascination.

Over the next three weeks the sand will vanish - spread over the resort's south beaches to create a new shore ready to do battle with the winter elements.

Work on the new £10 million sea defences - designed to protect 1,600 homes and businesses in the low-lying south of the resort - is rapidly reaching a conclusion.

One of the biggest challenges has been to reclaim the beach in front of the car park at the top of Beach Station Road, where previously the sea lapped against the temporary rocks and the prom virtually all the time with hardly any shore at all.

Now the sea is breaking at low tide at the new rock groynes - the waves having been forced back.

Project manager for the Environment Agency, Andrew Rouse said the shore had been effectively reclaimed by dumping thousands of tonnes of sand and shingle to allow the new T-shaped breakwaters to be constructed.

He said: “The new beach has pushed the sea back and the groynes will in future hold the beach material and maintain the beach.”

The project team were delighted with the way the work had gone and expect it to be complete by October 1 - well in time for the winter.

Mr Rouse said: “Over the next few weeks the huge pile of sand will be spread along the shore to create more new beach areas as the remaining rock groynes are completed.

“It has gone very well, though there have been a few challenges along the way - such as the finding of the bomb and other bits and pieces - but we have managed to resolve them.

“There is a little bit more work to do, then we shall tidy up and be gone.”

Contractors Team Van Oord are building 21 T-shaped rock groynes between the pier and Landguard nature reserve, strengthening the prom, and nourishing the beach with 500,000 tonnes of sand and shingle dredged from the Thames Estuary and pumped ashore.

Do you like the new beach? Will the sea defences work? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk