Some stretches of Britain's coastline have become so eroded they will have to be abandoned to the sea, the new head of the Environment Agency has warned.
Former Cabinet minister Lord Smith of Finsbury said that the agency was already drawing up projections as to which areas of coast would be most at risk over the next 50 years.
In an interview with The Independent, he said the agency faced hard choices over which areas could be defended and which would have to be left to be reclaimed by the sea.
Parts of north-east Norfolk and Suffolk were most immediately at risk, he said.
While the agency would do its "level best" to protect those areas where there were significant numbers of homes, he warned that it would not be possible to save all of them.
"This is the most difficult issue we are going to face as an agency," he said.
"We are almost certainly not going to be able to defend absolutely every bit of coast - it would simply be an impossible task, both in financial terms and engineering terms."
"We will publish next year details of the work that's been done, where we think the particular threats are, where we think there is current defence in place. We will begin to talk with communities where we think defence is not a viable option."
Lord Smith indicated that the Government would not always be able to rely on insurance companies to cover families who lost their homes, suggesting they would have to be rehoused at taxpayers' expense.
"We need to start having a serious discussion with Government about what options can be put in place," he said.
Well, ask the relatives of the few hundred Dutch nationals who created Canvey Island out of the reaches of the Thames.
Or even, the ongoing work in reclaiming every metre of the North Sea over in Holland, making new lands for its ever increasing population.
amenity, you asked me what to say,
I cannot print my true feelings when coastal erosion is slowly taking Englands green and pleasant lands, and letting years of growth just fall into the sea.
Today in Brooklands, Jaywick, our high tide this early afternoon was bashing right up and over the sea wall again as it does on most windy days.
Our protection is hundreds of Tonnes of reinforced concrete, but our best defence was the last of the sand replenished beach was washed away sometime ago, but not all of it along its length of Brooklands.
If we said Brooklands was made up of two halves, east of, and west of, the central point, our resource Center.
When the offshore rock armour was placed to protect the sand repleneshed beach, all along its length, the computer model predicted that the correct design was just perfect..
The east side of our beach has been washed away, while our west side still stays intact.
Our rock armour offshore wall will be added to by 40,000 tonnes of fresh rock, in an attempt to halt the washing power of the waves.
The depleted beach will then be recharged by 25,000 cubic metres of sand, where this is dredged from i do not know.
Now, the point i`m making is,
if King Canute who was reportedly sitting in a wooden throne, while telling the advancing seas to retreat, could not stop the power of the north sea, nor will the coasts of our green and pleasent lands stop from eroding away its non defended coastlines.
A simple time delay may be old redundant steel containers, filled with sand / ballast before the doors being closed and welded shut, with the secondary
one welded to it at right angles on the landward side forming a "T" being placed at the point of most erosion on the beach, in as long enough line as can be utilized, it would ward of most of the seas destructive power.
In monetry terms, a full on concrete retaining wall does the job, we hope, but as the cost seems to be aimed at the Environment Agency, or DEFRA,
M A S S I V E amounts will be needed to save our coastlines.
I wonder in years to come if people will look at maps and say, "That's where the lost kingdom of Britain used to be. At low tide they say you an hear the church bells chiming under the water. But they did put on a spectacular show for the Olympics in 2012 and it only cost them £13.35 billion."
It's just a question of priorities, ours and "theirs".
It is however gratifying to know that before the money ran out, enough was found to renew the sea defences in front of Wedgwood Benn's coastal estate near Southwold. Apparently the work was "urgent. So that's all right then.
We live in the only country in the world where the people wouldn't rise up in revolt at the way we are treated and used by our elected leaders at every level.
Geat idea. Perhaps Lin might like to organise a gang of modern-day tricoteuses. Instead of sitting at the steps knitting they could make collapsible letter-box cages instead.
Sorry. Brought a serious debate down to my level again
I cannot say publicly what i want...(whether i mean it or not)
but, nice posts on this thread lads...
Perfectly understand Ivan. If it became common knowledge that you are a member of both MI6 and the Tufty Club your position might be compromised. Please rest assured that no-one will ever learn your secret from me.
Just a suggestion though. You might have got away with being photographed at your last secret meeting and even allowing the picture of you and the lads to be published in the Gazette, but the constant chant of, "We are the MOD, we are the MOD", was a bit of a giveaway.
Oh, and M said to be sure to remind you, "The apples will rotate on Wednesday." I think the poor dear has been at the gin again.
ha.ha..ha..
For someone scrutinized as much as myself at the moment,
i am a bit over publicised as we speak.
But as the weekend was for Waltons charity,
all of us "youngsters" chanted our age (how old) old inspirational songs...
we are the MODS, we are the MODS, we are - we are the MODS....
well it worked in the film quadraphenia........
It say`s something along them lines on little jims scooter windshield..
Us youngsters ages ranged from 8year old, to even older than myself @67 years young, we are the MODS etc...lol
As you say wednesdays apple rotation chooses to be another illicit affair, but only for the chosen few,
(or was that phew)
P.S. not only is my membership of tufty club still running,
but you forgot
.............................C R A C K E R J A C K........... also....
But .....I can't knit (well unless you are the possesser of arms of different lengths and a humpback ,you wouldn't fit into one of my finished garments) .
I could however ,persuade some other ladies who like lycra to become cheerleaders ....on second thoughts ,that's not such a good idea.
Oh and we all know that Ivan really belongs to the I-Spy club ,I bet he still has the books squirrelled away somewhere.I should watch out Vicar ,he gets 15 points for spotting a Slightly Sozzled Vicar in his Churches and Canons I-Spy Book.
That may well be the case Lin, but I am the proud possessor of a first edition of the rare "I-Spy from the pulpit" which had a very limited circulation in the early sixties.
All I need to complete it and get my badge is to spot a pink-wellied bog-haunting gran seated next to a scooter-riding ex-cabbie who is sporting a "This is not a wig" badge, on four successive Sundays at evensong.
Unfortunately as I don't get to church much these days because of my religious beliefs I am afraid the badge will go unclaimed.
PS Please just send along the ladies in Lycra. We'll worry about the guillotine and things like that later. Thank you.
some of the quality of ladieeeees at the carni were of disputable origin,
not sure how many slightly sozzled sausages were squeezed into lycra,
so to speak.... .
I must say though,
some of the proper ladies who were dressed appropriately (or in-appropriately ?)
drew more than admiring glances from our direction..
Little bo-peep had lost more than her sheep, as she playfully flownced along bobbing up and down, or is that being sexist..?... ..lol.
I WAS told to be on my best behaiviour by the boss who was maskerading as a teenage mod sitting in the back of the truck, next to No. 1 daughter (who is also as outspoken as her poor gentleman father)..
so it was a good job they were in the back then...lol.
(chuckling to myself still) and the best horror story was the large bewigged ladieeeeeeee in the yellow`ish frock who was the worlds No. 1 tottenham supporter.
I think "she" (he) went off me as i dont do football.... .phew....
Someone asked why i had dressed up for the event (see picture in paper)
so i said, no, i always looked a mess... .
And so to Lins knitting.
i have ofton wondered just how they managed to knit chain mail (chain male. ?.ok, dont answer lin.) or is that getting back to Ivans over 18 bit again..sorry vicar...
And last but not least, our very own vicar (rev) or what the lord calls him,
our own Barry from Walton, was on his very nice chrome & red vespa for part of the route.
(how many points for that then young girly---or pieces of bread pudding)
So our little wiz kids are being helped again to the tune of £400 billions.
Any idea of what this means?
Well if we were to build a sea wall all around Britain using only the most expensive type of construction we could go right round every part of our coastline, thats right, 12429 kilometers, three and a half times.
That figure will expand enormously if we include those payments that have been made already to such as Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley.
So never again tell us that you cannot afford to build a few miles of sea defenses on the coastline.
Should it cross your mind to make up another sly story about what you can afford, would it help if we persuaded, as part of this grotesque package, the "Wiz Kids" to buy homes and live along the eroding coasts.
I wonder in years to come if people will look at maps and say, "That's where the lost kingdom of Britain used to be. At low tide they say you an hear the church bells chiming under the water. But they did put on a spectacular show for the Olympics in 2012 and it only cost them £13.35 billion."
It's just a question of priorities, ours and "theirs".
Reading this again and having just read a letter from an exhalted one I reproduce it here so you can guess my feelings on the matter.
From Huw Irranca-Davies
Minister For The Natural and Marine Environment. Wildlife and Rural Affairs
Dear Dr Gibson
Thank you for your letter of 26 January enclosing a copy of correspondence from your constituent Mr P Gowen about flood defences on the Suffolk coast. I apologise for the delay in replying.
The Environment Agency's (EA) draft Blyth Estuary flood risk management strategy was issued for consultation in September 2007, and subsequently revised to lake account of local community input. The strategy explains that defences around the estuary are in poor condition and are approaching the end of their useful life. The nature of the land protected by the existing defences makes it hard for the EA to justify substantial expenditure into the future and options are being considered with the local community for low-cost intervention such as provision of ring-banks and assistance to landowners. The EA has spent over £100,000 on maintaining key flood defence walls within the last year and are exploring with landowners and other organisations how further works could be undertaken to extend the life of this defence.
The potential flooding of the A12 has been & concern for some years, and through the strategy development period, the EA has been in close contact with Suffolk County Council, the relevant Highways Authority. The EA supported the County Council's bid to the Department of Transport (DfT) for funds to raise the road. This has been successful and the EA will happily continue to support the County Council as they implement this project.
Thankyou admin.
i was trying to use an an old fashioned magnifying glass to read it.
ok, back to story.
I though the outcome of all this was not to flood or let flood the area, but may be looking at somewhere else.
If raising the road cures flooding, or has prevention of flooding on a major route (escape route) that in itself is a good thing, but,
if the lack of prevention of general flooding of the area means losing acres of usable land,
its like being mugged after paying your tax bills.
As an aside, one of the reconmendations of future building work in unused areas in Golf green,
is the raising by 6 feet (i think?) an escape route road from the sea wall area, then up to known "flood proof" areas on the jaywick border.
All this was before the Brooklands sea front beach area had its £10 million make over.
I wonder what the truth is here, from memory the A12 has land on either side of it so raising the road will ditch some of the land anyway, does anyone know?
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
I am afraid the badge will go unclaimed.
.
..lol.
.
?.ok, dont answer lin.) or is that getting back to Ivans over 18 bit again..sorry vicar... 
