£7.6m plan to repair Yorkshire resort's crumbling piers to go ahead after 10-year wait

A £7.6m plan to save Whitby's crumbling piers will finally get under way in September.
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Balfour Beatty signed a contract with Scarborough Borough Council to repair the historic piers last week.

As reported in The Yorkshire Post, the saga over when the repairs would go ahead has rumbled on for over a decade after a report revealed there were major structural flaws in the North Sea defences which protect hundreds of homes and businesses.

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The decision to appoint the contractor was taken by council leader Councillor Derek Bastiman due to a timescale being imposed to complete the work as part of a funding grant.

In a report to Coun Bastiman, the council’s legal director, Lisa Dixon, wrote: “Balfour Beatty’s current contract programme proposes a contract start date of 9 July 2018, a start on site date of 11 September 2018 and a contract completion date of 29 January 2020. These dates meet the grant requirements.”

Talks are being held with Balfour Beatty to make up the short time that has been lost since signing the contract and the actual start day may change but 
September is the target, the council said.

The Environment Agency has committed more than £4m to 
the project, in addition to funds from the European Structural Investment Fund, the Local Enterprise Partnership, North Yorkshire County Council and Scarborough Borough Council. Whitby Town Council has also agreed to meet a £120,000 funding shortfall for the East Pier extension bridge on the piers to be replaced.

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The announcements came as a warning was issued over the dangers of jumping into the sea from high spots such as cliffs, piers 
and harbour walls after a rise 
in the practice known as ‘tombstoning’ during the recent warm 
weather.

HM Coastguard said there had been 16 deaths and 50 serious injuries caused by tombstoning nationally in the past six years.