URGENT sea defence work is taking place at Felixstowe Ferry to prevent the waves sweeping away a stretch of coast.
URGENT sea defence work is taking place at Felixstowe Ferry to prevent the waves sweeping away a stretch of coast.
The Environment Agency is carrying out the �200,000 project after storms penetrated the defences and undermined a section of rock wall, scouring away material from below and making it unstable.
Engineers feared that if the situation worsened it could lead to a breach - and damage the coast path and links golf course.
Because the area is next to the point where the sea meets the Deben estuary, there are constant changes to the channel.
An agency spokeswoman said: “The storms have caused changes in the river channel, which has now moved because of the dynamics of the environment there.
“This has had an impact on the sea defences and started to undermine them.”
Rock has been delivered by barge from France to the affected stretch between the two Martello Towers.
Two JCBs are working on the shore to remove the rock armour on top of the defences and fill beneath it with smaller rocks before putting the top layer back again.
The work is set to continue until the middle of April.
The coastal footpath has been temporarily diverted along the edge of the golf course.
“The defences here protect the hamlet of Felixstowe Ferry and it is important they are maintained,” added the spokeswoman.
Are you concerned about erosion of Suffolk's coastline? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
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