Simple (proven) Swaps to Prevent Coastal Erosion
Coastal erosion is sometimes natural, but is being made worse by climate change (and people removing sand and pebbles from beaches, they are there for a reason).
In some areas of England, homes are literally being swept away (the Norfolk village of Hemsby has seen people lose their homes). And often the government will not provide any compensation.
The British Geological Survey says there are now around 30,000 homes in the UK, within 25 metres of sliding into the sea. Coastal geologists these days when asked ‘how far is a house from the sea?’ sometimes reply ‘about five years’.
But less funny is that many insurance companies won’t pay out for coastal erosion, as it’s now so common. Yet there are some solutions that could help.
In 1953, a serious storm on England’s east coast (which killed hundreds of people and more on the Continent) led to many concrete sea walls being built.
But these measures are clearly not working for Hemsby or the nearby village of Happisburgh (pronounced ‘hayz-bur-ruh) which also has homes in peril.
Eccles-on-Sea had a village before it, lost to the oceans in the late 1500s. After bad storms, ‘sea-bleached skeletons’ of the church and other buildings, appear in the sand.
One disabled man recently lost his house to coastal erosion. With help from Friends of the Earth, he took the government to court, saying they needed to do more on climate action. He lost the case. An appeal is pending.
How does coastal erosion work?
Each day, tides pull sand out and bring it back again, and this quietly eats away at the coastline. Coastal plants often anchor sand in place, and pebbles too can keep the land anchored. So when people remove pebbles and sand (or destroy coastal plants to say build holiday resorts), this all eats in.
Climate change does not affect coastal erosion directly, but it does increase the frequency of freak weather like storms. And storms can create strong winds and heavy rain, which can cause erosion.
In 1917, a storm in Hallsands (Devon) nearly wiped out the village. But not due to the storm itself, but because most of the shingle beach had been removed, leaving homes vulnerable.
Local young resident Ella Trout and her cousin William were out on a boat, when they saw a shipwreck. They and a local man rescued and saved the lives of nine men.
Climate change is also causing rising sea levels, which means tides are higher, so waves go further inland. The Suffolk medieval town of Dunwich again disappeared into the sea, as the tide cam closer and closer to the land. Ravenser Odd (a historic port town in Norfolk) was lost to the sea back in the 1300s, after fierce weather.
Sea defences: what can we do?
The National Trust (which looks after 800 miles of UK coastline) says that building coastal defences is not enough. In Pembrokeshire (Wales), it’s taken 100 acres of dune grassland out of active farming, and restored reed beds and fen meadows to protect local flora. It’s also trying to relocate buildings, shorelines and habitats to provide new safer homes for wildlife, further away from the sea.
- Seawalls are solid concrete barriers, to form a sturdy wall between the sea and land, offering protection against waves. But they don’t offer a permanent solution.
- Rock Armour is a pile of large stones that absorbs wave energy, before it hits land. But they can sink into softer ground, or get moved by strong currents.
- Rock Berms are similar, but built more as a sloped heap. They catch incoming waves to reduce force, but against they are not permanent and need frequent repairs.
- Dune Planting restores coastal plants, which can anchor sand, actually as natural barriers to soak up the power of storm waves.
- Creating Wetlands creates wildlife-friendly habitats that again absorb the power of waves.
- Beach Nourishment adds sand or shingle back to beaches, that have had them removed in the past for urban developments.
The Dutch answer to coastal erosion
Reefy is an invention from The Netherlands, which creates an artificial reef to stop coastal erosion. Due to frequent floods on a flat marshy land, Holland has been at the forefront of finding effective solutions to flooding issues.
Good for beaches or rivers, this is stable enough to dissipate 90% of wave energy, whilst still retaining natural habitats for marine wildlife.
A book on how to manage coastal erosion
New Coast by an American expert on rising seas. Drawing on 40 years of experience at the Environmental Protection Agency, he suggests policy changes at local and national level to restore and protect our coastlines.
Why Beachcombing is Not a Sustainable Hobby
Beachcombing may be popular, but it’s not really sustainable. Sand and pebbles are on beaches for a reason (they prevent coastal erosion, and shells in particular house small creatures from hermit crabs to insects. Even ‘crabbing’ can cause harm to injured creatures.
Beaches are habitats first, scenery second.
It’s actually illegal to remove sand and pebbles from beaches (also don’t remove driftwood, as again it provides essential habitats for wildlife).
At the coast, keep away from nesting birds and never walk on sand dunes. Learn how to keep dogs safe by the seaside (check beach bans before travel).
Leave seaweed alone
Harvesting seaweed (without knowing what you are doing) can harm shrimp habitats. Experts just ‘give seaweed a haircut’, without removing the roots.
Keep dogs away from seaweed fronds. They can expand in the stomach, once dry.
Driftwood gives insects places to live
Driftwoods creates shade and damp spots in hot weather. On some beaches, birds rest near it, and seedlings can take hold around it. What looks dead can still be busy.
Don’t remove sand, pebbles, shells or driftwood from beaches (these prevent coastal erosion, the latter two often home to tiny marine creatures). Don’t remove fallen leaves either, they are likely home to tiny insects.
Something likely lives in nearly everything
Whether it’s a tiny creature living inside a shell, a hermit crab living inside a bigger shell, or even nesting materials for birds, usually things on the beach are there for a reason, and should be left alone.
Shells (even fragments) prevent erosion on coasts, by helping to stabilise the sand and shore, and are made from calcium carbonate, which breaks down over time to form new sand, which re-enters the ocean’s nutrient cycle, for new shells to form.
Algae and sponges often attach themselves to shells, and these provide food and shelter for other creatures, not when they are displayed on your mantelpiece.
In fact, in many countries it’s illegal to take anything from the beach (in Italy, you’ll have a policeman with a gun after you, with an official warning).
And although it’s not so well-known in the UK, we have the Coast Protection Act 1949, which also forbids removing sand, pebbles and shells from public beaches. In Florida, if you remove the queen conch shell, you could go to jail.
If you would never kill a live animal for a souvenir, then don’t take shells from beaches or shops, as they often are home to living creatures.
What about sea glass?
Sea glass is broken bottle litter washed smooth by the waves, to create jewellery. As long as it’s not disturbing habitats, this is okay used to make beautiful jewellery. Your earrings may have been a pirate’s beer bottle from hundreds of years ago. Shiver me timbers!
Why are beaches sandy or pebbly?
It just depends on the beach. Cliff areas have stronger higher waves, so more pebbles. Sandy beaches tend to have gentler waves. The colour of sand depends on what it’s made from (iron oxide makes sand brown, Caribbean coral makes sand white or pink).
We’ve all heard of starfish and know what they look like. But are they exactly, and how can we help them? Let’s find out!
Starfish (also called ‘sea stars’) are fascinating marine mammals, often in rockpools and coastal waters, including England. They can regenerate lost arms and have a very unusual eating habit, in that they turn their stomachs inside out to consume prey. Having no brain or blood, they are actually echinoderms (not fish). Like sea urchins and sea cucumbers.
But they are living creatures, that eat clams and mussels by pulling the shells apart, and dissolving the prey into ‘soup’ to eat. They can see in all directions, due to having eyes at the end of each arm! And use special receptors to smell prey, as they have no noses..
They move using hyraulic pressure, using hundreds of tiny tube feet under their arms, and some even are born males, and turn into female as they get older! Some species can live for up to 35 years.
How to help beautiful star fish
Starfish do no harm, and it’s important we protect them as like all marine creatures, they are risk from human interference. Mostly from people removing them from the water, to sell them as ‘dried star fish souvenirs’. So never buy them in shops.
If you find a starfish stranded on the sand, gently move it to the water (if it’s attached to a rock, leave it as it is using its feet to ‘suction to a rock’ and waiting for the tide, and you could harm it, if you pull it away. As long as it looks like the sea is going to come in soon, it should be okay.
If it looks like the water can’t cover it, try to use some water or a shell or small shovel, to gently prise it away without harm, so it can return to the sea, in order to survive. But be careful not to harm or pull its feet away harshly. Just removing a star fish from the water can harm its water vascular system.
If you see anyone removing or harming starfish, report it to local environmental authorities.
It’s illegal so you can report it to RSPCA, British Divers Marine Life Rescue or as wildlife crime (anonymous through Crimestoppers).
Leave seaweed alone (also not safe near dogs)
England has over 600 species of seaweed, though you won’t see many, as most live under the sea. Although seaweed can be hand-harvested in small quantities for various uses, its real purpose is to provide shelter and nursery habitats for marine creatures.
Seaweed absorbs nitrogen and phosphorus from run-off, to help prevent ocean pollution. Unless you know what you are doing, don’t harvest seaweed yourself (experts just ‘give it a haircut’ without disturbing the roots). As one person wrote ‘It’s seaweed to you, but the universe to a shrimp!)
Keep dogs away from seaweed, as they often like to play with the fronds or even eat it. But as well as being salty, wet seaweed expands in the stomach as it dries. lso don’t walk on seaweed yourself (to protect it, and to prevent slipping over).
Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust has a good guide to the main species of English seaweed. The most common are:
- Bladderwrack (this has a ‘bubble wrap’ appearance and provides habitat for many ocean creatures).
- Sugar kelp is named due to the white powder residue left behind (its other name is Poor Man’s Weather Glass, as people use to hang dried fronds outside to predict whether rain was on the way, depending if they stayed dry or not).
- Sea lettuce does indeed look like lettuce leaves, and is used to make Welsh laver bread.
- Carrageen is a reddish seaweed, often used in vegan gelatine alternatives, to set puddings.
England’s Tidal Causeways (and keeping safe near quicksand)
Holy Island, Ava Lily
Check tide times (and any dog beach bans) before travel. Tidal causeways vanish as water comes in, cutting off safe routes back to land. Many coastguards are called out to people stranded (including in cars) when they have not realised just how fast the tide covers dry land.
Most tidal islands post tide times online or at car parks. Safe windows for walking or driveway don’t last long, so be to get accurate times for crossing. Some also advise not to cross in wind, rain or thick fog, even upstream rain can send water surging along rivers or across sand.
Popular causeways use poles or stones to show the way, so stick to these nearby markets, for safety.
Major Tidal causeways in England are:
- Burgh Island, Devon (top image) is off the South Devon coast, near the village of Bigbury-on-Sea. It only has a hotel (used in Agatha Christie period dramas) and a pub. At high tide, there is a unique sea tractor, to ferry guests to and from the island.
- Mersea Island (Essex) looks like a Caribbean island, but is just 9 miles south of Colchester! It connects to the mainland via the Strood, a causeway that floods at high tide. Like Norfolk and Suffolk, it’s famed for its pretty pastel-coloured beach huts.
- Lindsfarne (Northumberland) has a rapidly-rising tidal causeway, often covering the road in minutes. Local signs provide guidance, reminding travellers of the next tide.
- St. Michael’s Mount (Cornwall) is linked to the town of Marazion, managed by the National Trust. In 1755, a Lisbon earthquake caused a tsunami. The sea rose 6 feet in 10 minutes, rising and falling for 5 hours, causing loss of life and property.
No dogs are allowed on the island during warmer weather (due to lack of shady areas) and some dog beach restrictions apply.
Staying safe near quicksand (sinking mud)
Quicksand is a mix of sand, water and clay. It is trapped with enough water to look solid, but stepping on it loosens the sand into a soup-like slush, that can’t support weight.
Sinking mud is similar, but often covers salt flats or tidal zones and contains more clay or silt. It bubbles up around shoes or boots, and can turn firm ground soggy.
Always keep to main paths near sand dunes (keep dogs away from nesting birds and seals – this also helps to avoid pirri pirri burr attaching to skin, fur, clothes or shoelaces). Keep dogs away from coastal flowers, as many are toxic (some to humans too).
Read more on keeping dogs safe by the seaside. Check beach bans before travel.
Both show up in areas with lots of water movement (estuaries, tidal rivers and salt marshes) as well as some coastal areas in England. Major quicksand areas include:
- Morecambe Bay (Cumbria/Lancashire) is notorious for unpredictable sands. The speed at which the sands flood with the tide adds to the danger. This is where a few years ago, the Chinese cockle pickers were swept to their deaths by a strong tide.
- The Broomway (Essex) is a tidal footpath from Wakering Stairs to Foulness Island. At high tide, the path disappears. Over 100 people have died when lost in fog and tide. It’s said to be almost inevitable to drown, if on the sands when the tide comes in.
- Horsey Island (a Nature Reserve) and Asparagus Island (Cornwall) have quicksand. Hidden creeks and tidal flats can catch out the unprepared. Locals often report seeing shoes, car tyres, and abandoned dog leads, hinting at hairy escapes.
Most quicksand is only waist-deep and floats things that are less dense than water (that includes us). S o although frightening, don’t panic as this could exhaust you and make things worse.
Those most at risk are walkers and tourists who ignore warning signs, foragers and birdwatchers. Local teams are experienced in helping people who get stuck, the few tragedies are usually do to high tides and rough weather, not just quicksand itself.
To avoid getting stuck in quicksand:
- Stick to marked paths, and heed warning signs
- Don’t wander across tidal flats
- Pay attention to tide times
Quick sand looks watery or disturbed, and often appears as dark sand surrounded by slow-moving water, sometimes with ‘sucking sounds’. A stick or pole can test the ground ahead, but ideally don’t go near it.
How to Escape from Quicksand
- Stay calm, take slow breaths and focus on gentle movement.
- Try to sit or lean backways to spread your weight, so you are horizontal. Slowly wiggle your legs to create space and free your feet. Lay a walking pole or bag across the surface to help balance.
- Shout or wave to attract attention, and use your phone if you can.
- Once free, dry off and warm up quickly. Remove tight shoes or jewellery if swelling occurs, and call for medical help if you feel cold or ill.
If your smartphone can’t say your location, you can now buy a personal locator beacon. Keep phones in a waterproof pouch in isolated areas, ready to call 999 or 112 (coastguard) for help.
What if Dogs are Stuck in Quicksand?
- Avoid pushing or pulling, this could make dogs sink further.
- Have a passer-by stay on stable ground, while you slowly crawl with a rope or branch to reach the dog.
- Have the passer-by pull slowly on the rope, to help the dog float. Use a branch to distribute the dog’s weight.
- Create space around the dog’s legs, wiggling them side to side. This helps water seep in, to loosen grip.
- Call for help (999 will alert the Coastguard, and trained professionals with specialist equipment to help.
Weston-Super-Mare (a classic seaside resort)
Known for a wide sandy beach, this is a popular place that lets you see all the way to Wales, on a clear day. Names after Old English for ‘west settlement’ (super-mare is Latin for ‘above the sea’).
Weston Super Mare has the second-highest tidal range in the world, so follow signs to avoid high tides and quicksand. Marine Lake is a manmade body of water that offers a safe swimming area, when the tide is out, though dogs are not allowed.
Jill Dando was raised here, and there is a memorial garden in her name, after her tragic murder. ‘Jill’s Garden’ took 3 days of work by the BBC Ground Force team, and contains her favourite flowers (roses, lavender and trees) plus a foaming fountain, a disabled ramp and a sensory garden.
Founded in her memory, The Good News Post is an online digital newspaper, packed with good stories. It’s powered by an ‘expanding army’ of young journalists age 7 to 18. Her journalist brother also helps out.
In emergencies, call the police or coastguard, and ensure phone is charged, before travel. Also read how to keep dogs safe by the seaside.
