Rocks from Norway arrive to protect crumbling Yorkshire coastline

The new sea defences being installed south of the town will prevent Holmpton Road, holiday chalets and homes being lost to coastal erosion.

It took three days to transport the first 5,000-tonne shipment from the quayside of the quarry in Rekefjord, on the southern coast of Norway - and then another five days waiting off the coast until the weather conditions were good enough to bring the rock ashore by barge.

A total of 63,000 tonnes of anorthosite, a rock similar to granite, will be transported to the site off Golden Sands Holiday Park over the next few months.

The work should be finished by the end of the year.

The interlocking structure is designed to prevent wave action from reaching the cliffs, so reducing coastal erosion. The largest rocks on the outside weigh up to 10 tonnes.

When complete, it will extend the current defences with 400 metres of rock armour, and will include a new 100 metre rock structure at the end of the defences.

A £3m grant, which allowed the £7 million scheme to go ahead after other bids had failed, was provided by the European Regional Development Fund at the end of last year.

Councillor Chris Matthews, the council’s portfolio holder for strategic management, said: “It’s an important day for the scheme with the arrival of the first load of rock armour direct from Norway.

“I know the residents in this area of Withernsea have been waiting for this day and will be delighted when the scheme is finished.

“We are extremely pleased to have been awarded funding to carry out this project in order to help shield this area of coastline from erosion, which has increased in recent years.”

On this stretch of coast around 4m per year of land is being lost to the sea, but recently has risen to 6m. Last year around 12m was lost off Golden Sands Holiday Park.

People are being asked to stand well back from the site for their own safety. Contractors BAM Nuttall Ltd will have beach marshals on site to escort people past the works.