The Role of Sea Defence Contractors UK

The United Kingdom has a large amount of coastline and that is why sea defence contractors UK are particularly important in this country. Being an island means high interaction between land and sea. Just think of how many towns and cities in the UK are directly on the coast.

Our coast is very long relative to our county’s size at 12500km. That is one and a half times as long as Italy’s coast line. Costal engineering and sea defence schemes are vital to reduce the risk of flooding and protect homes and businesses on the coast. Sea defence contractors UK do not have a simple job; costal structures also require a large amount of maintenance due to erosion and flooding. It is not a case of simply building them. The long term picture needs to be carefully considered. Controlling erosion is the key to maintaining many costal structures to a safe standard.

Fluvial, Aeolian and Terrestrial sources of erosion are constantly acting on costal zones from the sea. Erosion can cause structures to become unstable and crumble, therefore flooding is not the only danger. Sea defence contractors in the UK need a strong knowledge of costal geology as well as the practice of civil engineering. Costal engineering and sea defence requires scientific understanding of the sea, rock and costal structures underpinning traditional engineering disciplines in the relevant areas. That is why specialist civil engineering contractors are needed and this is why the role of sea defence contractors in UK is so vital to our safety.   

North Wales is bordered by the sea on two sides. Most of its towns are coastal, for example Llandudno Conwy, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Bangor, Rhos on Sea and Conwy County alone has a 73km coastline! North Wales therefore entails intensive sea defence and maintenance. The UK’s tide changes quite a bit compared to the Mediterranean so even though we might think of the sea as a fixed border it most certainly is not. Without intervention by coastal engineering the town borders would be constantly moving. A seawall is a main defence structure used by sea defence contractors in the UK. It is necessary when the sea is impacting directly on land forms. Seawalls are a common and necessary feature in North Wales.

Sea defence plays a big role in preventing coastal flooding and its necessity could not be overlooked in coastal towns in north Wales earlier in the year during the particularly heavy rain and consequential flooding in many areas.

Sea defence contractors and coastal engineers have essential responsibilities to safety but also to not impact on the biodiversity of the coast. It is a difficult balance that requires specialist expertise.