“Please do not put yourself at risk by ignoring closure signs and temporary barriers along Ventnor Esplanade” – that’s the message from the Isle of Wight Council following the immediate closure of the seawall towards Bonchurch.
Several days of pounding waves have battered the eastern promenade and undermined a 25ft section of the sea wall, making it extremely dangerous for people to use.
A section of the revetment, just beyond Ventnor Skatepark, was closed last Friday after a site inspection revealed cracking and voiding to part of the coastal defences.
Since then the Council said the damage had worsened with 2 large concrete panels collapsing into the sea during Tuesday’s storm surge.
Natasha Dix, the council’s strategic manager for environment, has said:
“We cannot stress strongly enough the need for people to stay away from the site. The recent storms and high tides have carved out a large void underneath the promenade that extends some 25-feet.
“We also wish to reassure the community that the area continues to be monitored daily and that we are working closely with the Environment Agency and other partners on immediate remedial works and potential options for the future.”
Monitoring?
The same way the useless IWC are ‘monitoring’ the damaged breakwater at Shanklin?
Problem is the public now know when the council says ‘temporary’ it likely means permanently, so of course people get sick of waiting to use a footpath, byeway, or favourite sea side walk, whilst they spend the money more unwisely on spongers, imms, and criminally insane wasters.
Gabion cages will hold it all back until IF ever permanent repairs can be funded by our every increasing council tax.
PS, for those with children or tax credit funded freeloaders, ‘Council tax’ is something the rest of us pay to fund your lifestyle choice.
Do you sell gibion cages?
Well said Ivy. Way too many spongers think they should get everything from the state and not contribute themselves by having a job and paying their taxes!!!!
What is it with you and your Gabion cages, it seems like that was your solution to the queens road sewer crisis as well?
They’d be washed away in the first gale.
It will get worse with every tide, why hasn’t work started to repair it. It’s no good just monitoring it, unless of course someone wants to make it a major contract.
Gabion cages would if placed in front of the broken wall, take the power out of the waves, thus causing less harm to the already damaged walling.
Cheap, easy to move and efficient, hence Council will not use such.
If the walkers are anything like the motorists over here, they won’t take a blind bit of notice of the closed signs!!!!!
Just like the Road Closed signs.
Nobody worries about walkers clambering over tree roots and up slippery unguarded slopes on the landslip and coastal path, but as soon as a crack appears in the concrete walkway the IOWC play the H&S card and spoil everyone’s enjoyment by closing the access..
Can’t the council just fence off that section and direct pedestrians past it on the earthy section?
The unfortunate reality is that the Council does not have the money to perform the necessary repairs and never will.
Issuing this warning and putting up signs allows them to effectively wash their hands of any responsibility and add this to the long list of “temporarily” closed routes on the island.
The only hope is that the potential cost of compensation to owners of properties above the affected area exceeds the cost of repairing the defences. There is a reason they are called defences after all…
Let Dwarenism take it’s natural course.
If people are stupid enough to ignore the path closure and they die.At least they are being taken out of the gene pool.