The popular UK seaside holiday destination 'running out of sand'

A popular seaside town is running low on sand. The owners of Blackpool’s three piers have issued a warning after records showed the level of the beach has dropped by around three metres since the structures were built.

They say sand reduction around the steel footings of North, Central and South Piers has accelerated in the last 15 years. And while there is no immediate threat, the Blackpool Pier Company says action is needed now to prevent further significant decline in sand levels.

They have purchased their own equipment, including a bulldozer, to haul sand back onto the beaches and protect the foundations. The company also wants to work with Blackpool Council which has received £57m from the Environment Agency for the Blackpool Central Area Beach Nourishment Scheme.

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This will see sand replaced which has been washed away from the base of the stepped sea defences, leaving the foundations exposed to erosion. Mark Marshall, health and safety officer for the Blackpool Pier Company, said: “We have a common interest in ensuring the piers are structurally sound by maintaining the correct sand levels around the footings.”

A recent 3D image of South Pier compared to a photograph of the pier from the time it opened in 1893, shows much more of the steel footings are above beach level. At the time the piers were built, Victorian engineers built piles into the bedrock below to act as the foundations for the structures.

Surveys show three metres of sand loss at the base of South Pier, 1.5 metres at Central Pier and one metre at North Pier. But engineers employed by the piers’ owners say the rate of sand loss has accelerated