Protesters' SOS in battle of the = Blyth

18 February 2008 | 07:16

3D"The

The SOS from the air=20
IT is recognised = worldwide as an=20 area of outstanding natural beauty.

And with = bright=20 sunshine and clear water, yesterday was a perfect day = to spend=20 in Walberswick.

But the tranquil village and = peaceful=20 beach was attracting more people than usual yesterday = - and it=20 was not just because of the weather.

For more = than=20 1,500 people joined together to protest against = Government=20 plans to stop maintaining sea defences - which they = say could=20 lead to the picturesque village and surrounding Blyth = estuary=20 being washed away for future generations.

3D"The

The protesters=20
Protestors helped form = an SOS=20 outline, around 50 metres long and 30 metres high, to = call for=20 the Government to =E2=80=9CSave Our = Shoreline=E2=80=9D.

The protest=20 came as Environment Secretary Hilary Benn is under = pressure to=20 explain how a sea wall outside his family's home on = the=20 Blackwater Estuary in Essex came to be repaired last = autumn,=20 while his department is proposing to abandon Southwold = Harbour=20 and Walberswick.

Landowner Andrew Blois, whose = family=20 helped build the initial flood defences in north = Suffolk 400=20 years ago, said much of his 4,500 acres of land is = under=20 threat if the Government proceeds with its = plans.

He=20 said: =E2=80=9CIt is about preserving Walberswick and = Southwold=20 Harbour and everything that people around here enjoy = and today=20 is the prime reason - this is what Walberswick is all=20 about.

3D"Children

Children in Churchill masks=20
=E2=80=9CIt is this = community, the beach=20 and the sunshine, and if the Environment Agency = continues the=20 way it is we will lose a large proportion of it, which = will=20 devastate people's lives and businesses and the whole=20 community.

=E2=80=9CI hope the protest has been = a resounding=20 success. It is lovely to see so many people come out = here and=20 the enthusiasm shows the commitment that everybody has = to the=20 community, and that is what makes Walberswick so=20 special.=E2=80=9D

Protestors say they are = demanding three=20 things from Defra - which funds the Environment = Agency.=20

They want a commitment to fund maintenance of = the=20 shingle bank between Walberswick and Dunwich. They = also want=20 breaches to all the flood bank defences on the River = Blyth=20 repaired immediately and a commitment to fund = maintenance and=20 restoration of all Blyth flood bank defences in the=20 future.

3D""=20

'We will fight them on the = beaches' -=20 children in Churchill masks =
Out=20 showing his support was Conservative MP for Suffolk = Coastal,=20 John Gummer, who said it was a =E2=80=9Cwonderful = protest by local=20 people=E2=80=9D.

He added: =E2=80=9CI am so = pleased. It is yet another=20 example of the determination of people in Suffolk = Coastal and=20 Waveney to fight for the protection of the coastline = and the=20 rivers.

=E2=80=9CThe reason that the = Environment Agency and=20 Government have developed this unacceptable plan is = because=20 they have not managed the river = defences.

=E2=80=9CIt is like a=20 householder not dealing with the guttering and = wondering why=20 it costs =C2=A3100,000 to mend the house when they are = not prepared=20 to spend the money in the first = place.=E2=80=9D

Organisers of=20 yesterday's protest said they wanted to see a chain = reaction=20 against the policy of retreat and giving into the sea = and hope=20 that other communities around the British coast will = follow=20 with their own SOS protests.

Malcolm Kerby, = from=20 Coastal Concern Action Group in Happisburgh, Norfolk, = said: =E2=80=9CI=20 have come today to show solidarity because it is not = just here=20 that is affected, it is the whole East Anglian=20 coast.

=E2=80=9CThese people are here to = protest about things=20 much more far reaching than Walberswick and Southwold. = It is=20 about the effect that this plan for the Blyth estuary = would=20 have on the wider economy of the area because I think = it would=20 decimate it.=E2=80=9D

Luke Jeans, one of the = main organisers of=20 the protest, said he was confident the SOS protest = would have=20 an effect.

=E2=80=9CThis is important because = ever since the=20 Environment Agency announced that it was withdrawing = funding=20 there have been a lot of committees set up to put = argument's=20 to them but this is the first time that we have had = people=20 power.

=E2=80=9CI think the turn out has been = fantastic and is=20 everything that we hoped for.=E2=80=9D

A = letter has also been=20 sent to Defra to accompany the demonstration.

A = number=20 of celebrities, including film maker Richard Curtis, = live in=20 the Walberswick area. But a spokeswoman for the = protest said=20 celebrities had not taken part.

The Environment = Agency,=20 which advises and implements Government policy on=20 environmental issues, thinks that maintaining defences = in the=20 Blyth estuary is unsustainable and uneconomic because = it will=20 cost tens of millions and protect few properties. =

It=20 has produced a draft strategy and the consultation = period is=20 due to end on February 29.

Charles Beardall, = the=20 Environment Agency's area manager, added: =E2=80=9CWe = do genuinely=20 understand the concerns of the local community. They = have a=20 right to protest and make their views known and we = will=20 listen.

=E2=80=9CBut the bottom line is we feel = the sea walls=20 will last for about another 20 years and after that = period the=20 cost of replacing them - about =C2=A334million - is = simply=20 uneconomic. The money would be better spent=20 elsewhere.=E2=80=9D

He said about 40 properties = would be=20 affected and officials would advise owners on=20 protection.

=E2=80=9CWe face an enormous bill = because of rising=20 seas levels,=E2=80=9D added Dr Beardall. =E2=80=9CA = lot of existing small sea=20 walls simply will not cope and we face very difficult=20 decisions how to spend money on=20 defences.=E2=80=9D

In a letter = to Defra written=20 to accompany the demonstration, protesters = said:

=E2=80=9CWe,=20 the people of Walberswick, are sending out an SOS to = this=20 Government and calling on Defra to save our shingle = ridge,=20 save our marshes and save our community by reversing = its=20 recent decisions to retreat and let the sea in all = around=20 us.

=E2=80=9CWe are not going to stand by and = let Walberswick=20 beach and beautiful surrounding areas wash away into = the=20 sea.

=E2=80=9CThey will try to argue that there = is only so much=20 money to go round - but we are not asking for more = Government=20 money. We are asking them to spend our money=20 better.

=E2=80=9CIt is financial madness not to = spend money now=20 on defences and then end up spending 10 or 20 times as = much in=20 a few years' time on raising the A12 at Blythburgh to = keep the=20 east coast open when the road gets washed = away.=E2=80=9D

The=20 letter added: =E2=80=9CWe are sending this SOS to all = the people who=20 know and love Walberswick so that they can join us in = sending=20 a message of their own to Defra - a message that = together we=20 will not retreat, we will fight them on the beaches = and we=20 will never surrender.

=E2=80=9CThis is not just = an SOS for our=20 village under threat. We are calling on every other = community=20 on the coast of Britain which is threatened by the = lack of=20 funds for sea defences to send its own SOS to the = Government=20 and to keep sending them until they see = sense.=E2=80=9D

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