Entire UK village could possibly be washed away as fearful residents face 20m ‘race towards time’
The popular Devon coastal village of Torcross has suffered severe storm damage, with residents facing a ‘race against time’ as a £19.8m sea defence scheme is set to begin this summer
A £20 million fund has been put into saving the village(Image: William Dax / SWNS)
An entire UK village could be swept away for good as residents face a ‘race against time’ to rescue their homes.
The beloved Devon coastal village of Torcross has fallen victim to numerous devastating storms.
Last winter properties suffered damage, with a massive stretch of the main road, the A379, being completely washed away.
Now, the Environment Agency (EA) has approved a £19.8m enhancement scheme that should “buy the community some time”.
The works are scheduled to commence this summer and will see 55,000 tonnes of rock repositioned in front of the existing sea defences
This will establish a temporary protective barrier of rock armour.
UK village in ‘race against time’ as its risks being washed away(Image: William Dax / SWNS)
The car park storm breach is also set to be fixed by June 2027, alongside rock revetment work.
Despite feelings of “total jubilation” following the funding announcement, residents remain concerned that the sea defences won’t be finished in time to preserve their homes.
Hannah Miller, general manager at Start Bay Inn, described it as “a race against time” to complete the work.
She said: “If the storms are anything like they were this year and we don’t have that in place, then it’s going to be a pretty bleak future”.
In February villagers found themselves cut off amid 12ft waves during the storm.
Despite the substantial funding, repairs to Slapton Line (the A379) are not included in the proposed Environment Agency project.
The 300-strong community has maintained that this road serves as a “lifeline to the village” and its closure has made access and transport increasingly challenging. The road linking Torcross and the nearby village of Slapton suffered damage when coastal barriers were wrecked during January’s tempests, before being further battered in February.
Many properties were damaged in the storms(Image: William Dax / SWNS)
At the time, Lib-Dem MP Caroline Voaden reportedly warned residents the route could remain shut for “at least” a year.
When questioned during Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer described the destruction as “very concerning” and said the Government was putting money into strengthening flood and coastal barriers.
George Arnison, coastal engineer for the EA, explained that while the scheme represented “value for money”, it wasn’t a lasting fix and there were “no easy answers”.
He added: “It will buy the community some time, buy the government some time, buy the Environment Agency some time, to think through what is the long term future here?”.
