PEOPLE living on a nationally important stretch of the Suffolk coast are set to undertake a survey of their beach in a bid to help its future conservation.

Volunteers from Shingle Street, near Woodbridge, will be helping out representatives from Suffolk Coasts and Heaths and the University of East Anglia next week.

The area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the survey will study the processes occurring at the vegetated shingle beach.

Anne Page, chairman of Shingle Street Settlements Company, is one of those taking part.

She said: “Vegetation is the key to the area being a SSSI. Some people claim the vegetation is not as developed as it should be, while others say there is far more than there has been before.

“There is an anxiety among some that visitors are trampling the vegetation and doing harm.

“The idea now is to survey it and see what’s going on. It’s not a one off project – we will be doing it over quite a period of time. It’s a very exciting project and we are delighted to have the involvement of Suffolk Coast and Heaths.

“Those of us who live here and the people who visit regularly are obviously very keen to ensure we protect this wonderful natural environment.”

Bill Jenman, from Suffolk Coast and Heaths, has organised the survey and it has received funding from the lottery.

“We’re hoping it could answer a whole bunch of questions,” he said. “Not just the question mark over trampling but also the fertilisation affect of dog fouling for example.

“What we want to do is teach people how to do it (the survey) so they can continue and report back after, say, three years. That way we can see how things have changed and how it can be managed.”