Blue Anchor: Pub and road that's crumbling into the sea in Somerset to be saved by £3.7m plan
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Work on a permanent coastal defence scheme to save a pub and a road in a Somerset village from falling into the sea will start in the spring.
Located between Minehead and Watchet, the Anchor's Drop pub had to stop trading in 2018 when a crack appeared on the pub floor in the morning. By the afternoon, most of the garden had disappeared.
Since then Somerset West and Taunton Council have carried out emergency repairs to the sea defences at Blue Anchor to prevent the pub and the B3191 from being destroyed.
After two years of planning and consultation, the council says it is now ready to begin work as a result of securing a boat to deliver material for the defence.
Around 13 thousand tonnes of granite will be transported from a quarry in Scotland to the site over an estimated 32 days, with work beginning as soon as it has been landed.
The project will be funded by Somerset County Council and is estimated to cost £3.7million.
Executive member for environment services at Somerset West and Taunton Council Cllr Andy Sully said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have at last been able to secure the necessary vessels to complete the coastal protection works at Blue Anchor.
“This project is both large scale and complex and has been a long time in the planning but we now have a date when we can start work to protect the B3191 which is so important in connecting the communities on the Somerset coast.”
Cllr Mike Rigby, Somerset County Council’s lead member for transport and digital, said: “Arranging the vessel has been quite a complex and lengthy logistical operation and I’m pleased we now have a firm date for its arrival.
“This is another example of great partnership work delivering vital infrastructure protection in Somerset."