Folkestone beach management program continues

Folkestone & Hythe District Council said that a beach management program – aimed to protect more than 3,000 coastal homes and businesses from flooding – is to continue.

“Our successful bid for £2.35m of Environment Agency funding means shingle between Fisherman’s Beach and Folkestone Harbor will be recycled and regraded biannually for the next five years,” the council said.

“This technique has been used since 2004 and is currently the most cost-effective way of protecting the 7km stretch of coastline.”

It also offers far superior flood and erosion defense than the old timber groynes.

Many of them are still hidden below the current level of recycled shingle and do not contain the adequate amount of material to shield the coastline or cope against rising sea levels, the council concluded.