Vandalism to flood wall will cost council £25,000 to replace
It is the second time the glass panels have been smashed since 2023
Vandalised flood panels will cost a council £25,000 to replace and cause road closures.
A report on the East Suffolk Council’s coastal management work on Monday revealed vandalism would force the authority to replace damaged panels along the Lowestoft flood wall.
It is the second time the glass panels have been vandalised since the council unveiled them in 2023 as part of a wider £67 million scheme to protect the town from flooding.
This time, it will cost £25,225 to replace them and lead to temporary road closures.
Details on the closures, as well as the diversion route, will be shared ahead of the works being carried out, by next month.
Conversations are ongoing on how to deal with the vandalism.
It comes as the council grapples with protecting coastal towns from flooding and erosion, particularly due to the lack of money available for these projects.
Cllr Tom Daly, said: “There’s no funding available, there’s uncertainty for us let alone the residents – this could start getting seriously damaging.”
A funding gap of £124 million, for instance, led to East Suffolk Council halting work on a majour flood barrier project in Lowestoft.
Although the money required to replace a few glass panels will not make a dent on the amounts of funding needed, it certainly does little to help.
During the same meeting, councillors were told a home in Thorpeness would have to be demolished due to erosion, with several others in danger and having to carry out work to make them safe.