A POPULAR beach has been partially closed for the remainder of the summer holidays.
Sea dredgers will pump thousands of tonnes of shingle onto the beach to extend part of it by 25m and protect the coastline.
A groyne is also being added at Hove beach, located near Brighton, East Sussex.
Hove was described by The Times as one of the best seaside towns in the UK and “far less crowded and chaotic than Brighton with its relentless stream of boozy day-trippers”.
The partial closure, which begins today, forms part of a wider project that started earlier in the year, to add nine new groynes – known as a groyne field – to the beach, which is scheduled to reopen at the end of August.
A spokesperson for Brighton and Hove City Council (B&HCC) said: “The new shingle will extend the beach between the King Alfred Leisure Centre and Second Avenue by around 25 metres out to sea.
“Helping to protect the area from flooding and coastal erosion, the larger beach will also reduce the amount of shingle washing up onto the promenade, like we see during storms and windy conditions.”
The spokesperson added that the work is scheduled to take around four weeks and needs to be done around high tide.
“During the work, this section of the beach will need to be closed to keep everyone safe,” they added.
Hove Beach is backed by a long esplanade with a cycle lane as well as a grassy area where visitors can find cafes, an amusement arcade, crazy golf and the King Alfred leisure centre.
As previously reported in The Sun, the leisure centre is set to be demolished to make way for a £65 million “entertainment zone”.
The red-brick building has dominated the seafront of one of the UK’s most popular resorts since the outbreak of the Second World War.
Campaigners vying to save the centre were hoping for a last-minute reprieve from Historic England but B&HCC has now approved the plans.