£3m works underway to save South Tyneside coast road from coastal erosion

Works costing around £3.1 million are underway in South Tyneside to save a 500 metre

stretch of the coast road from coastal erosion.

South Tyneside Council is funding the project, which will see the section of road between Marsden Lime Kilns and the caravan site near Marsden Grotto realigned so that it is 24 metres further inland.

Leader of the council, Cllr Tracey Dixon, told ITV News: "The road will remain open with possibly traffic signals.

"We’ve worked through the issue, taking into account so many elements, such as the historical fact, the wildlife fact, the habitat factor, just to ensure that what we are producing here will give this coastal route an extended 50 years."

The works follow a survey conducted in 2019 that identified parts of the route would be compromised in the future, including the formation of caves.

One expert from Northumbria University, who has worked on digital mapping of the cliffside, said coastal erosion is a problem replicated right along the North East coast.

Professor Michael Lim said: "Coastal erosion is a really significant problem in the North East.

"We have real challenges about predicting the extent of erosion and when, in particular, it will happen and in the North East we have a real inheritance of landfill sites and past infrastructure, that if influenced by coastal erosion can lead to the release of materials and contaminants that can obviously get into the waterways and affect wildlife and the water quality."

The works are expected to be completed in the summer of 2023.

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