Work has started to deliver tonnes of sand to a beach dismantled by severe wind and waves.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council today transported the first of up to 100 lorry-loads of sand to Hemsby from Great Yarmouth’s North Beach, just north of the Britannia Pier, where there is a surplus of sand available.
It will be used to help fill the gap between the beach and Hemsby Lifeboat Station so that the sloping access ramp cut into the beach can be reinstated.
The ramp was decimated by the recent stormy conditions which left numerous homes at The Marrams on the verge of collapse; five have since been demolished, leaving gaping clifftop holes behind.
Restoration of the ramp will once again enable direct access to the beach, primarily for the launch of the lifeboat.
Daniel Hurd, Hemsby Lifeboat coxswain, said: “We’re looking to reinstate the ramp, but also to make it safe this side of the tank trap rocks on the shoreline for members of the public.
“As well as that, we need to make sure we’re operational; at the moment the lifeboat team could get down onto the beach in an emergency, but getting back up is a different story.
“From our point of view we’re hoping progress can be made as soon as possible. The borough council has been brilliant organising getting the sand here, but it’s now just a matter of getting it onto the beach.”
As the first few lorry-loads were transported to Hemsby, the sand was subsequently stockpiled at the nearby car park beside the lifeboat station.
The process is set to accelerate in the coming days once this area has been vacated by demolition crews, who are still clearing debris from the five properties that were perilously close to falling into the sea.
The sand will be placed onto Hemsby beach itself as soon as possible, but this is subject to logistics and weather conditions.
Overall, the operation will take contractors more than a week and will see up to 160 cubic metres of sand transported, with each cubic metre weighing between 1 and 1.2 tonnes, depending on its wetness. This equates to up to 100 lorry loads of sand.
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