Warning as Storm Babet repairs to get underway

People are being warned to remove their vehicles ahead of the closure of a seaside car park that suffered an "extraordinary" amount of damage from Storm Babet.

Tourist and locals alike are being advised to clear the large car park at South Gare, near Redcar, which is popular for its views of the coast and rolling sand dunes.

The havoc wreaked by the freak weather in October left damage costing about £1.5m to the Teesside peninsula.

The adjacent Grade II-listed lighthouse, built in 1884, is one of only a few still operational in the UK, and continues to provide vessels with a safe entry into Teesport.

The closure for potential engineering works affects the road from the boundary of PD Ports’ private land, adjacent to Paddy’s Hole, to the tip of the breakwater.

Tenants and licence holders who use facilities on the Gare will still be able to gain access, although they have been warned of potential disruption.

PD Ports warned “to whom it may concern” they must move vehicles in advance of the closure, which begins on Sunday, and is expected to last three to four weeks.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that councillor Carl Quartermain met PD Ports representatives in Middlesbrough and “there is no suggestion that there is to be a permanent closure” with the area being historically used by the public.

PD Ports, and its predecessors, have been guardians of the River Tees breakwater and port entrance since 1852 as a statutory harbour authority.

Chief executive Frans Calje said £1.5m worth of repairs were required due to Storm Babet's “extraordinary” conditions.

He said: “The scale of the forces that hit the structure that day are hard to imagine – huge concrete blocks were tossed about like pebbles.

“We are looking at options beyond the immediate repair, to strengthen the breakwater and keep it operating.”

The first phase of repair works saw 200 cubic metres of concrete injected into the voids left by the broken slabs to repair the immediate damage.

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