A stretch of low-lying coastline is to get its sea defences shored up to better protect homes and businesses from floods.

Improvements will be made at Hunstanton, Heacham and Snettisham beaches - a distance of about five miles.

The Environment Agency will be carrying out the vital work next month and it is expected to take about four weeks to complete.

Eastern Daily Press: Holding the line - material being moved back up the beach to strengthen the shingle bankHolding the line - material being moved back up the beach to strengthen the shingle bank (Image: Matthew Usher)

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The project will involve 'beach recycling', using bulldozers to scoop up sand and shingle that gets washed down to Snettisham Scalp over time.

The material is then taken by lorry back to Heacham and Hunstanton where the bank has been eroded due to winter storms.

It is something the EA does annually to help protect homes and businesses along the low-lying eastern coast of the Wash.

The announcement follows reassurances from the EA that this stretch of coastline will "not be abandoned" amid concerns the shingle ridge, which protects land from Hunstanton to Wolferton, could be failing.

The organisation is currently conducting further investigations to assess whether it needs to change its approach to how it manages its sea defences.