Liz Coates A WEBCAM which links pictures of Gorleston's historic harbour with people at home and away is up and running again after a six-month break in service.The pictures which also offer an overview of progress at Great Yarmouth's outer harbour attracted a following until it broke down in November - dismaying web-watchers who had got used to their daily fix of seaside views, monitoring weather and tides.

Liz Coates

A WEBCAM which links pictures of Gorleston's historic harbour with people at home and away is up and running again after a six-month break in service.

The pictures which also offer an overview of progress at Great Yarmouth's outer harbour attracted a following until it broke down in November - dismaying web-watchers who had got used to their daily fix of seaside views, monitoring weather and tides.

Businessman Charles Shelbourne who runs Budget Marquees from his Cliff Hill home in Gorleston said fixing the device involved liaising across a time zone with its makers in California.

He said: “It went up about two years ago but when it broke down in November people started to say how much they missed it. But I had real problems fixing it and it went on for months.

“I don't know if I dare switch it off now. I can twist and turn it round and people say 'can we see a bit more of the pier?' and things like that.”

Pictures are broadcast every day and updated every two minutes.

To watch visit www.budgetmarquees.co.uk.

Meanwhile, the £50m outer harbour is quickly taking shape with the port land reclamation phase well underway.

A hi-tech cut and suction dredger from Holland continues to excavate sand from the seabed which is turned into slurry and pumped back to shore through a pipe connected to the dredger.

The astonishing progress can be seen by the amount of sand stretching out from what was once a modest beach along South Denes.

By the time the dredger finishes work at the end of August about 30 acres will have been reclaimed - using 1.65m cubic metres of sand - which will form the quay wall and its surrounds. The wall will be completed with piling to which the ships will moor.

Work on the southern breakwater is also proceeding rapidl,y drawing dozens of locals to drive by and have a look.

Yarmouth's outer harbour will be one of the biggest new port developments to go ahead in the UK in recent years and is expected to be completed in the early part of 2009.

The project has been funded through a public-private partnership with part of the financing, about £18m, coming from the public sector.