Sea defences and groynes on the beach at Withersea East coast of Yorkshire
The Holderness coastline suffers the highest rate of coastal erosion in Europe: 5 feet ( m) a year on average or 2 million tonnes of material a year.[2] Some of this is transported by longshore drift with about 3% of material being deposited at Spurn Head spit, to the south. The growth of Spurn Head is demonstrated by a series of lighthouses that have been built on the point. It is thought that approximately 3 miles (5 km) of land has been lost since the Roman era, including at least 23 towns/villages, including Ravenspurn. The Holderness coastline is susceptible to erosion due to the long north-easterly fetch, allowing for powerful waves, and the softness of the geology that make up the cliffs. Holderness is also a former bay that was filled in during the last ice age and is now made up of chalk/glacial compounds that are easily eroded such as boulder clay. Aldbrough, Holderness. Coastal erosion. All the villages affected by the erosion are located on the north side of the estuary of the River Humber. The area stretches from Flamborough Head (high chalk cliffs, just north of Bridlington) down to Spurn Head (sand spit, on above map). Villages such as Ravenser, which sent representatives to the parliament of Edward I, have totally disappeared. The local authorities are endeavouring to prevent the effects of erosion. Hard defences in the form of a concrete seawall and timber groynes have given some protection. It has been suggested that a large underwater reef made of tyres could be built off the Holderness coast to mitigate this erosion but it would be costly to build. Other defences include sea walls, groynes, and gabions but business people say that if the erosion is not stopped then there will be millions of pounds of damage. However, one or more such groynes has had a detrimental effect further along the coast, in some areas resulting in erosion of up to twenty metres per year initially though over the long term erosion rates have been seen to revert
Size: 4368px × 2912px
Location: Withernsea , Holderness , East Riding of Yorkshire , UK
Photo credit: © Steve Morgan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: beach, boulders, coast, concrete, defence, east, erosion, groynes, holderness, sea, seawall, wall, yorkshire
