Delaying work on Fermain wall 'will push up the cost'
ENVIRONMENT'S 10-month delay in repairing the damaged seawall at Fermain will lead to it getting worse and cost more to fix, St Martin's senior constable Gerry Tattersall has warned.
But an Environment spokeswoman has denied his claim, stating that more of the wall will need to be removed during the repair work, so any further damage would not increase costs.
A hole – just a few metres across – was created in the base of the wall by storms at the start of January.
Within days, the pounding sea had pulled tons of earth from behind it into the bay, destabilising the structure.
The 'hole' has now grown into a 14m-wide breach in the tall granite structure.
Mr Tattersall said while he sympathised with the department, which has been swamped with emergency coastal repairs this year, he thought this project had been put off for too long.
'What I find farcical and unbelievable is that this happened in January,' Mr Tattersall said.
'They have waited until the beginning of the following winter to start planning. Why did they not start in April?'
