Why are groynes not being replaced?
Timber groynes have been used for well over a century to help protect our coastline and are they are now a familiar part of the landscape. In recent years there has been a move away from this method of defence. This article attempts to explain why this is the case and how alternative strategies are being used. By the 19th century shingle beaches that had built up in the 10,000 years since the last Ice Age had started to erode. In 1500AD The Crumbles extended 2km further seaward than it does today, consisting of a mass of shingle that had been driven ashore by rising tides. At first its erosion fed beaches to the east, but eventually this source was exhausted so that all areas of the coast started to erode. 150 years ago there was no real alternative but to use timber groynes in an attempt to protect communities that had developed along the coast during the Industrial Revolution. In recent decades advances in machine technology has meant that there are now different techniques that can
