Work to shore up beach to start

The beach stabilisation project will cost about £71,000

Work to shore up a Suffolk beach is set to go ahead next week.

Small humps are being created at Dunwich to protect the cliffs and stop erosion. It follows a 10-year local campaign to get the work done.

The £71,000 beach stabilisation project is being backed by Suffolk Coastal District Council, Dunwich Parish Meeting and the Environment Agency.

Dunwich was one of England's biggest ports until it was hit by storms in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Since then erosion has claimed most of the town including its eight churches.

'Whole-hearted support'

The Cliff Beach Stabilisation Project will create a series of sand and shingle humps along the beach.

These are intended to prevent the beach being washed away and this will help to protect the cliffs from the impact of the waves that have eroded so much land around Dunwich.

Geoffrey Baverstock, chair of Dunwich Parish Meeting, said: "The project has our whole-hearted support and we are delighted that it is proceeding."

The design has been drawn up by Stephen Hawes Associates, with the Dunwich Parish Meeting's Coastal Defence and Flood Committee.

The work is expected to take about four weeks, so from next week people are being asked to keep off the beach for health and safety reasons.