February sees no let-up from winter storms

High spring tides, a metre of storm surge, and 40-45mph winds from the south-east took a further toll on our coastal settlements on the night of 2-3 February. In Torcross, a 50m section of the A379 road opposite the Tank car park has been washed away. Long-reach excavators have spent the day filling the newly created void with rock to shore up the remaining section of ridge as a short-term measure while engineers survey the rest of the road for damage. Further north, a 200m-long section of one carriageway has largely been lost to the waves.

Further inclement weather and high tides are forecast for tonight, 3 February, and particularly tomorrow, 4 February. Police and coastguard will be visiting both Torcross and Beesands over the period to allay any concerns.

After intervention from parish council, SHDC waste teams will be visiting Torcross on 4 February to organise clearance of flood- and storm-damaged household goods and furniture. Residents can contact the teams out of hours on 01803 861539 or 01803 867034.

At Beesands the sea has encroached to within 10m of the roadway in two locations and almost all of the gabion basket sea defences have been displaced like rolled-up carpets. The long-reach excavator is booked in for Beesands on 4 February, with the aim of recovering as much of the rock armour as possible from the foreshore to create a barrier around what remains of the village green. This will provide short-term relief while a more permanent solution is investigated.

Caroline Voaden MP will address a public meeting on Thursday at 11am in Stokenham Parish Hall to hear residents’ concerns and allow them to share their views.