Spurn Point's protection will remain as access disappears

A report commissioned by the agency found that although it will become increasingly difficult to access the windswept peninsula, it will continue to act as a wave break.

Humber strategy manager Philip Winn said the results will have important implications for the future use of Spurn Point, and have also provided a valuable insight into the future of the estuary.

Mr Winn said the south bank of the Humber was being protected by the land.

"The most damaging waves for communities in the area come from a north-easterly direction. If Spurn Point wasn't there then the estuary would behave in a very different way and places like Grimsby would be in the firing line.

"Our study showed that despite the impact of rising tides and erosion, the spit is always likely to exist in some form, which will help to reduce the impact of waves across the estuary on to the south bank of the Humber."

The survey was carried out as part of the Humber Strategy, a long-term plan by the agency to manage the risk of flooding from the estuary.

However, Mr Winn said the research raises questions for current users of the land.

Spurn Point is owned by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and is home to many species of migrating birds, as well as a lifeboat station and the shipping navigation system for Associated British Ports (ABP).

It is a popular area for walkers and wildlife watchers, and tourism chiefs are keen to broaden its appeal to visitors.

The study was part funded by ABP and the trust and the findings show the track across the land is eventually likely to become inaccessible as sea levels continue to rise, which puts its current use in doubt.

The spit is becoming narrower in some places and in the future it will be "over-washed" by the tide much more frequently, the report said.

This means it will become increasingly difficult to retain the road to the point.

Storms cut it off from the mainland in the 1850s, but geologists believe a repeat of this is unlikely.