Southsea coastal defences: Why is the work needed?

Defences along the south of Portsmouth have protected the city for the last 50-100 years, however, now they are starting to fail. Council leader Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, highlighted the importance of the new scheme.

He said: '˜We've got to make sure what we build will protect people from flooding. There are a lot of people whose homes are at risk and we can't sit back at do nothing. Every year we have bits of the seafront that collapse. Not only are sea levels rising but also the power of storms that are hitting are getting stronger.'

Recently there have been several large scale failures along the frontage which have resulted in over £1m worth of damage, including those along Southsea Common which gave way in April this year.

Stretching from Long Curtain Moat to Eastney Barracks, the defences will protect over 8,077 homes and 704 businesses from major flooding for the next 100 years as the threat of climate change is expected to get worse.