Thousands of tonnes of rocks to be added to new sea defences in Southsea

A first shipment of 5,600 tonnes of armour rock will be delivered to the shore at Long Curtain Moat, which is the first section of the sea defences currently being worked on, from April 12.

And a second delivery is anticipated from 19-25 April (weather permitting).

A barge and tug will transport the rock from ship to shore, where it will be temporarily stockpiled before being used to build up revetments - a sloping structure to the water - at Long Curtain Moat.

Southsea Coastal Scheme Project Manager Rupert Teasdale said: 'The sheer volume of rock means we will need to be ready to work 24/7 to take delivery because this can only happen during high tide periods.

'While some night-time operations may be required, the current plan is to deliver the rock and build the revetment during extended day light hours as much as possible.

'There will be some associated noise and lighting over this time and we hope the community will understand this is necessary as we construct the essential sea defences.'

SEE ALSO: Damaged two-year-old sea defences in north of Portsmouth to be repaired

Construction of the east revetment at Long Curtain Moat will get underway first and is expected to take five weeks.

The west revetment construction is expected to commence late June and will last approximately six weeks.

The Southsea Coastal Scheme will stretch from Old Portsmouth to Eastney, and help to reduce the risk of flooding to around 10,000 homes and 700 businesses.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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