All agencies 'littoral-ly' powerless against drift
MR Pitchford is spot-on with his assessment of littoral drift and the way beach material is continuously moved from west to east along the Shoreham and Southwick seafront by wave action.
He is also correct in saying that beach material could, in theory, be recycled from Brighton Marina to Southwick beach.
The material which collects on the western harbour arm at Shoreham could then be recycled westwards to, say, Littlehampton.
However, there is no practical way at present of undertaking operations of that sort by barge, so, instead, we mimic the natural drift of beach material by bypassing the harbour entrance with the excess shingle that accumulates continuously.
Actually, groynes like the ones on both Shoreham and Southwick beaches are not intended to stop littoral drift, but just to enable the development of beaches to protect the land behind from wave action.
Even large obstructions to littoral drift like the harbour arms at Shoreham and Brighton Marina do not stop littoral drift – they just grow bigger and bigger beaches until the harbour entrances have to be dredged to prevent blockages.
In fact, Shoreham Beach before the harbour arms were built was just a narrow spit of dunes regularly inundated by the sea.
Regular surveys by the Environment Agency show clearly that Shoreham Beach is growing and Mr Pitchford may rest assured that the port authority will continue to work with the Environment Agency and local authorities to ensure that the entire frontage is adequately protected from the ravages of the sea.
I am more than happy to meet Mr Pitchford if he would like to discuss coast protection matters in more detail.
Tony Parker
Shoreham Port engineer
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Monday 20 February 2012
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