Seawall Collapse Anniversary

Former MP Richard Younger-Ross, will meet with Dawlish residents, traders and local rail campaigners this Thursday to mark the first anniversary of the seawall collapse in Dawlish in 2014.

Mr Younger-Ross is leading the campaign for a Wave Breaking Reef to protect the seawall and railway line between Dawlish and Teignmouth. The reef option he says is a cost effective way to protect the coastal route and could be a tourist attraction.

"Last years remarkable repairs are sadly only a temporary fix." he says, "With the increasing ferocity and frequency of storms we can expect further breaches of the Dawlish seawall, that is unless urgent action is taken to protect it. Ideally the sea wall would be rebuilt but the cost and the lose of beach for protective concrete blocks could be two major disadvantages. A wave breaking reef could be the solution and we need a study immediately on the viability of such an option. The reef could have other advantages as well, for it could be designed to include lagoons for sailing, rowing and swimming. In addition the reef could be an ideal habitat for fish and shellfish, urchins and corals, helping to conserve our marine life."

"Network Rail are currently spending £millions a year to patch and repair a victorian structure. The alternative route when it is chosen is unlikely to be built within the next 40 years House of Commons sources tell me. The whole of the South West needs a reliable rail service, we can start that now by protecting our Dawlish seawall and constructing a Wave Breaking Reef."

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Richard Younger-Ross 0778 593 1044

Richard is the former MP for Teignbridge. He started to develop the idea of a wave breaking reef as an option in 2004 after a breach of the wall west of Dawlish Station. He started the campaign for a wave breaking reef in 2009 when it was clear Network Rail's patch and repair policy was not a sustainable option.