Most of the cliff is made up of glacial
till, which is very susceptible to
erosion.
Fetch
The waves come from a NE
direction and have a long
distance in which to build up
energy.
Narrow Beaches
The narrow beaches of
Holderness don't protect the
coastline from erosion
because there're narrow
beaches that don't absorb
much wave energy
Rate of Erosion
Average 2m/year
Up to 20m if a particular area has been experiencing lots of storms
Mappleton
Small coastal town
Many locals work in the agricultural industry
Issues
B1242 too close to the edge of the cliff
(within 50m in some areas)
Farmers forced to move their cattle from the
cliff edges - affects their livelihood
(1996) Sue Earl (a local person) was forced to move out of her house
due to it becoming within 4m of the cliff edge. She has since
sued the council for compensation.
Solutions
in 1991 a Coastal Protection Plan was set up
Groynes
To build up the sand so that it protected the
base of cliffs, reducing erosion
Rock armour
Placed at the bottom of the cliff to
dissipate wave energy
£2 million
Subsequent issues created
In some places the rate of erosion increased
The beaches south of Mappleton were starved for sand & sediment
Lack of sand & sediment at Spurn Head caused the lighthouse to be at risk
Homes and businesses at more risk of being
affected by the retreat
An important gas column which supplies 25% of the SW is 25m
from the edge.