Rising sea levels may be behind surge in erosion

Staff from East Riding Council are monitoring higher-than-average rates of erosion to see whether it is part of the normal pattern, or a sign of a longer-term change.

The average rate for the East Coast is 1.5m to 2.5m, but in some hotspots the rate has rocketed in recent years.

The most recent survey shows that erosion was worst south of Withernsea/Hollym where 10m was lost in a year, nearly three times the average. At Aldbrough 8.5m disappeared into the North Sea, at Waxholme, north of Withernsea it was 7m. South of Hornsea/Rawlston 6m of land was lost, while 3 to 4m was lost in the Ulrome/Skipsea area.

A council report says increased rates of erosion could be to do with rising sea levels. It adds: “Defra suggests that sea level rise of around 1m could be experienced over the next 100 years and so this may already be proving a factor along our coast.”

The authority is set to launch a second small grants fund for communities affected by flooding. It will run from February 13 to April 30 and will offer grants of between £500 to a maximum of £30,000. Successful bids so far include building a footpath to serve houses which had lost their road to the sea.