Tonnes of sand and shingle are being removed from Felixstowe’s seafront gardens, prom and a car park as workers clean up after the sea surge.
The worst damage along the main seafront happened in Sea Road, where a 30-metre stretch of prom was smashed by the waves.
A wooden ice cream kiosk was lifted by the water and dumped on the prom, and broken open.
Alongside, in front of the Regal Fish Bar, six-feet square slabs of promenade were lifted and broken by the waves.
Some of the sections of six-inch thick concrete were moved several yards.
Fencing has been put at either end of the area to discourage public access – with people able to walk on the beach instead to get past.
Suffolk Coastal officials are assessing the damage and will be bringing in contractors to make repairs.
Workers were already removing sand – by shovel, wheelbarrow and digger – from the Sea Road car park and prom.
Repairs were also taking place in the gardens, which were flooded by the surge and had only just started to properly recover from the last inundation of sea water five years ago.
Some beach huts which were moved have already been put back.
? Seven residents with learning difficulties from the Silverdale Care Home in Felixstowe were evacuated from their home following risks posed by the treacherous storm – and spent the night in Ipswich.
Bupa’s Monmouth Court Nursing Home in the Maidenhall area of Ipswich worked together with staff from Silverdale to open its doors and supply beds, and an evening meal, for each of the residents until the storm had safely passed.
Ruth Garnham, deputy manager at Monmouth Court Nursing Home, said: “We were happy to welcome seven residents into our home on Thursday night – the more the merrier. We quickly made-up some beds and opened the kitchen to ensure everyone had a tasty meal and a warm bed to sleep in until it was safe to return home.”
? People at Walberswick are waiting to hear when a popular riverside path will be repaired after waves smashed through it and left a gaping hole.
Environment Agency engineers visited Robinson’s Marsh Wall yesterday to assess the damage, and also the stretch of coast between Walberswick and Dunwich.
The path was breached twice during the sea surge as the weight of the huge volume of water swept away the earth embankment opposite the Harbour Inn.
A spokesman for the agency said: “Across the region, we are now starting to stand people down from incident response and are moving into the recovery phase.
“That includes the ongoing assessment of our flood defences, which will determine our next steps.
“We continue to work with our partners to review the impact of flooding and to ensure that damage to flood walls and banks is assessed as soon as possible.”
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