[Sussex] Seaford Beach Shingle Work

Cheeky Monkey · Apr 2, 2021

Been ongoing on and off from last Autumn I believe, rendering big stretches of the beach out of bounds. Presumably shifting shingle has been an issue ever since the groynes were removed back in the day. Anyone with a better understanding of coastal erosion know why the groynes were removed in the first place? Was this year on year need to maintain the beach envisaged back then? Presumably not.

Uncle C · Apr 2, 2021

If my memory serves me right there was big flooding in Seaford many years ago even before the groynes were removed. I think there is a building, possibly in the middle of town that shows the extent of the flood depth.

Notters · Apr 2, 2021

I remember watching a video about it in geography at school, they have to move it all back west every couple of years don't they?

studio150 · Apr 2, 2021

Cheeky Monkey said:
Was this year on year need to maintain the beach envisaged back then? Presumably not.

It should have been given that in my geography lessons at school my understanding was that on the south coast the groynes were used to stop the shingle shifting eastwards. With the prevailing winds from the south west, high tide pushes the shingle up the beach and also eastwards so that in effect there is a diagonal movement of the shingle, but with low tide the shingle basically gets pulled back more in a straight line. This is why along the Brighton and Hove beaches you see a higher level of shingle on the westward side of a groyne than the east side.

Uncle C · Apr 2, 2021

Since January 1703, twenty major floods have occurred in Seaford with water reaching the church gates in the High Street and constantly flooding all the low lying areas.

In recent years several storms have taken their toll of the promenade; in 1954 a 22 yard breach occurred in the seawall, causing a large cavity under the coast road, 10 feet wide and 12 feet deep. A fortnight earlier a similar break happened near the Buckle inn. The cost of the damage was around £500,000.

During a gale in 1970, a storm drain manhole cover was lifted and washed 50 yards up Blatchington Hill; while in Claremont Road and Marine Parade there was a road subsidence.

The last major flood occurred on January 2, 1984, when in the late evening, Dane Close and Steyne Court had the ground floors under water. For a time several residents found themselves trapped in the upper rooms and in a nearby car park the water completely submerged the vehicles.

Tom Bombadil · Apr 2, 2021

It doesn't help that theyve built houses in areas that are very obviously below sea level. My guess is that the shingle is to protect the sea wall, rather than directly preventing flooding. I would assume the artificially high level of the beach prevents effective groynes of the type you'd see at Brighton or Eastbourne.

vegster · Apr 2, 2021

I think there was a calculation made some time ago about the cost of replacing and maintaining groynes and water outfalls along the beaches of Sussex and the amount of damage if they didn't and they effectively threw the towel in. That's why the wooden groynes and outfalls have been left to rot and rock barriers " erected" in areas that were most at risk from erosion and Longshore Drift. I think its all about money as usual, I clearly recall the beaches at Worthing having new groynes replaced in sequence for years.

Skuller · Apr 2, 2021

Seaford's problem probably started back in the nineteenth century when the Newhaven harbour arm was built. That prevented the natural longshore drift from refreshing Seaford pebbles from the west. So the beach level fell, putting the pebble bank at risk. Successive sea-walls were built to shore-up the pebble bank (loads of Seaford being below sea level) and groynes erected to help prevent longshore drift from taking even more pebbles away. The end result was a low beach and a vertical 15 foot concrete wall with the promenade on top. Seaford faces south-west and the gales would undermine the wall leading to collapses every few decades. I remember being sent home from primary school because of an imminent failure in the wall.

In the early eighties the beach was filled-in with pebbles from off Selsey Bill (sucked into a dredger, shipped to Seaford bay, and then blown on-shore) so the beach is now level with the promenade. Every spring and autumn the horrible diggers and tipper-trucks come along and shift the pebbles back to where they want them to be. I think the solution was meant to last thirty years, so it's beyond its sell-by date. Fanciful talk is of building a reef off-shore to protect the beach.

You can all wake-up now.

Return of the Rev · Apr 2, 2021

CaptainDaveUK · Apr 2, 2021

I remember as a kid growing up in Seaford in the 70s, we’d run and jump straight into the sea off the promenade. It was a risky past time as the tide started to go out you’d have to wait for the wave to come in so that the water was deep enough to jump. Pretty sure it was a ten foot drop into the sea, does anyone else remember doing this? Maybe there are some old photos?

vegster · Apr 2, 2021

Skuller said:
Seaford's problem probably started back in the nineteenth century when the Newhaven harbour arm was built. That prevented the natural longshore drift from refreshing Seaford pebbles from the west. So the beach level fell, putting the pebble bank at risk. Successive sea-walls were built to shore-up the pebble bank (loads of Seaford being below sea level) and groynes erected to help prevent longshore drift from taking even more pebbles away. The end result was a low beach and a vertical 15 foot concrete wall with the promenade on top. Seaford faces south-west and the gales would undermine the wall leading to collapses every few decades. I remember being sent home from primary school because of an imminent failure in the wall.

In the early eighties the beach was filled-in with pebbles from off Selsey Bill (sucked into a dredger, shipped to Seaford bay, and then blown on-shore) so the beach is now level with the promenade. Every spring and autumn the horrible diggers and tipper-trucks come along and shift the pebbles back to where they want them to be. I think the solution was meant to last thirty years, so it's beyond its sell-by date. Fanciful talk is of building a reef off-shore to protect the beach.

You can all wake-up now.

I have often fished off the beach at Dungeness over the decades, there has always been a permanent team of diggers and trucks moving shingle from Dungeness point back to the SW part of the point to protect the nuclear power station there.

BN9 BHA · Apr 2, 2021

CaptainDaveUK said:
I remember as a kid growing up in Seaford in the 70s, we’d run and jump straight into the sea off the promenade. It was a risky past time as the tide started to go out you’d have to wait for the wave to come in so that the water was deep enough to jump. Pretty sure it was a ten foot drop into the sea, does anyone else remember doing this? Maybe there are some old photos?

Return of the Rev · Apr 2, 2021

bn9 bha said:
View attachment 135523

Not alot different in the early 60s when driving along seafront Road :moo:

BN9 BHA · Apr 2, 2021

Return of the Rev said:
Not alot different in the early 60s when driving along seafront Road

Get your car washed

Return of the Rev · Apr 2, 2021

bn9 bha said:
Get your car washed

Rusted the bottom of our old camper van, engine perfect but destroyed the underside living in Seaford :moo:

Elbow750 · Apr 2, 2021

Yes its all about costs. Recycling the shingle from the eastern end back to Tidemills etc. is cheaper than building, and maintaining groynes. Shingle is a natural material and absorbs a lot of energy, thus protecting the seafront and the houses behind. I think this is the latest 'strategy' for maintaining the defences. https://assets.publishing.service.g...nt_data/file/322092/geso1006blno-e-eSTRAT.pdf

Seaford has had a 'Sea Wall' since victorian times, and this was added to in the 1920's and again in 1960's, but by 1987 it was in poor condition and needed more work. So the shinge beach was recharged with 3 million m3 of shingle, dredged from the channel. It's an expensive job, the going rate for shingle delivered to a beach is about £35 m3 so about £100 million in today's money.

There is an information panel on the seafront near the cafe kiosk. http://w.seaford-sussex.co.uk/Notic...150/3805_Display Panels_final_June2014_LR.pdf

Climate change and sea level rise is making it more expensive to protect our coastlines. Winter storms are getting stronger and melting ice and sea temperature increases mean sea levels are rising, which requires more and higher defences to protect the houses at seaford.

Harry Wilson's tackle · Apr 2, 2021

vegster said:
I have often fished off the beach at Dungeness over the decades, there has always been a permanent team of diggers and trucks moving shingle from Dungeness point back to the SW part of the point to protect the nuclear power station there.

Pretty similar over towards Pett level.

*cough* We're DOOMED *cough*

Return of the Rev · Apr 2, 2021

Elbow750 said:
Yes its all about costs. Recycling the shingle from the eastern end back to Tidemills etc. is cheaper than building, and maintaining groynes. Shingle is a natural material and absorbs a lot of energy, thus protecting the seafront and the houses behind. I think this is the latest 'strategy' for maintaining the defences. https://assets.publishing.service.g...nt_data/file/322092/geso1006blno-e-eSTRAT.pdf

Seaford has had a 'Sea Wall' since victorian times, and this was added to in the 1920's and again in 1960's, but by 1987 it was in poor condition and needed more work. So the shinge beach was recharged with 3 million m3 of shingle, dredged from the channel. It's an expensive job, the going rate for shingle delivered to a beach is about £35 m3 so about £100 million in today's money.

There is an information panel on the seafront near the cafe kiosk. http://w.seaford-sussex.co.uk/Notic...150/3805_Display Panels_final_June2014_LR.pdf

Climate change and sea level rise is making it more expensive to protect our coastlines. Winter storms are getting stronger and melting ice and sea temperature increases mean sea levels are rising, which requires more and higher defences to protect the houses at seaford.

Shingle has been coming from Tides Mill to East end of beach this time

Harry Wilson's tackle · Apr 2, 2021

Some amazing photos here

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/geography/researchprojects/coastview/Rendels_postcards/seaford_head.htm

Uncle C · Apr 3, 2021

Elbow750 said:
Yes its all about costs.

Climate change and sea level rise is making it more expensive to protect our coastlines. Winter storms are getting stronger and melting ice and sea temperature increases mean sea levels are rising, which requires more and higher defences to protect the houses at seaford.

Eventually it will become too expensive to protect properties in locations like this.

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