Posted on December 15, 2025
A short stretch of beach has reopened within a larger area closed off while shingle is pumped from a dredger as part of a flood defence scheme.
A dredging vessel has been piping one million tonnes of shingle on to the beach at Southsea from South Parade Pier to the Southsea Beach Cafe as part of the Southsea Coastal Scheme.
About 200m (656ft) of beach to the west of South Parade Pier has now been temporarily reopened between two fences. Members of the public have been told to stay within the area and not go beyond them at low water.
The beach will temporarily close again for about a week from 18 December while the pipes used to pipe in the shingle are dismantled.
The shingle pumped ashore from a dredging vessel will make the beach twice as wide
Southsea Coastal Scheme also said while the works were ongoing people must steer clear of “the sinker line near the rock groyne and our storage area near South Parade Pier”.
“Thank you for your patience over this time, enjoy the beach,” they added.
The shingle, to strengthen sea defences in Southsea, will make the beach twice as wide and help absorb wave energy to prevent overtopping during storms.
(Southsea Coastal Scheme) More than one million tonnes of beach material has been pumped on to Southsea beach between The Pyramids and the Coffee Cup at Eastney
The £180m project has involved building walls, raising land and widening beaches along a 2.8-mile (4.5km) stretch of coastline from Old Portsmouth to Eastney.
It aims to reduce the risk of flooding to more than 10,000 homes and 700 businesses from rising sea levels.
Started in September 2020, it is due to be completed in 2028.
