Officers, Contractors and Government Agencies pull together to repair storm damage at Westward Ho!

Heavy machinery was manoeuvred in-between tides to repair the sections of the defences that had been broken up or breached. Contractors worked non-stop during these periods in a race against time to stich together the repairs to form a unified set of defences. There was also support from the Environment Agency Engineers and Local Field Teams throughout the latter half of the week, which greatly assisted the efforts being made.  

Local MP Geoffrey Cox QC also attended the scene, to witness the recovery operation first hand, and offered his support and assistance in whatever way needed for the further work required.

The Council wanted to thank members of the public for keeping a safe distance during the works, but also to remind people that the area affected to the right (North) of the Westward Ho! Slipway remains unstable. Parts of the private plaza will continue to be fenced off as inspection has deemed it to be dangerous. People are being asked to respect the closure of this area for safety reasons and while further recovery work is undertaken this week. This will then hopefully allow local businesses to begin their own preparations for the season ahead.

Councillor Ken James – Leader of Torridge Council and Lead member for the Environment said:

“It was great to see everyone rally around and pull together to help address the damage caused by the latest destructive storms we experienced last week. We are grateful to our MP for lending his support, and to all the other Government agencies and local contractors involved in the clear up. The public have also been great in listening to our advice to stay clear of the area while the repair work continues. Further work is needed this week and we will be doing all we can to help businesses and residents get back on their feet as soon as possible.”