Alnmouth beach faces further issues with erosion after storms

Storms in the last couple of years have played a part in the erosion taking place on Alnmouth beach in Northumberland and may be the cause for some notable differences.

Coastal erosion happens to beaches all over the world and is a natural process. When material is taken away from the shoreline and is not balanced by new material being brought back, the beach will gradually erode away and can cause a range of issues.

A spokesperson from Northumberland Coast National Landscape said: “The coast is a mobile system, always on the move. The sand will return over a much longer period of time.

"Climate change does seem to be increasing both the frequency and ferocity of storms so it will be interesting to see the impact that more rapid change might have on coastal morphology.”

Locals and regulars to Alnmouth beach will notice buried objects such as scrap concrete and WW2 coastal defence cement blocks are now visible as well as notable changes to the ramp, which now stands off the sand.

The ramp is owned Alnmouth Burgage Holders, who also own the car park and have plans to fix it later in February. The latter portion will likely be replaced with steps to make up for the lack of sand.

The ramp was put in place in March 2023 on top of the old one, which in June was covered in sand. Now, both ramps are visible.

Gerry McBride, chair of Burgage Holders of Alnmouth Common, said: “Indeed, there has been significant erosion on the sandy parts of the Northumberland coast. However, one of our committee members, who has lived for over 80 years in Alnmouth has observed that erosion and deposition of sand comes and goes over the years.”

Some locals have expressed that the war defence blocks go from being covered and visible over the years and is a normal process for the area, and others have noticed more significant changes such as change to the mouth of the estuary.

A spokesperson from Northumberland Estates said: “The Estate has been working with Northumberland Coast National Landscape (AONB Partnership) on this and several other projects in recent years. I understand that there was an application to The Heritage Lottery fund to secure funding to help tackle some of these issues around Alnmouth, however it was not successful and so further discussions are ongoing.”

Large piles of concrete are lying in one area and have been a cause of confusion for some, who may wonder if they were swept in with the tide. These scraps were actually placed in order to prevent erosion but are now visible along with cement blocks.

The beach car park is currently unaffected but the possibility isn’t ruled out.

Gerry added: “In recent years, in the North east, there have been increasingly frequent storms and strong Easterly winds. Whilst there is no guarantee that the beach carpark in Alnmouth will not be significantly affected by this, Alnmouth has two physical barriers that mitigate erosion and drift, i.e. a series of groynes and a double row of large cement blocks placed as part of Britain's WW2 coastal defence.”