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Environment

‘There is no great master plan’: anxiety as UK homes, roads and railways sink into the sea

The Guardian Environment Saturday 23 May 2026, 06:00 UTC By Sandra Laville 1 min read
Key Points

Coastal erosion is severely impacting UK communities, with infrastructure such as roads and railways being damaged by rising sea levels. A section of the Slapton Line road in south Devon was recently demolished by winter storms, highlighting the vulnerability of coastal areas. Experts note that there is no comprehensive master plan to address this escalating threat.

Increasing coastal erosion has hit communities’ livelihoods and put lifestyles under threat

The remains of the road linking two towns in south Devon lie crumbled on the foreshore in a mess of tarmac, steel and concrete.

The dramatic coastal road, known as the Slapton Line, has an environmentally protected freshwater lake on one side and the sea on the other, and links the towns of Kingsbridge and Dartmouth. But this year, winter storms demolished a section of the A road between Torcross and Slapton, which is at the frontline of rising sea levels and coastal erosion, fulfilling a destiny that was predicted more than 30 years ago, but that has not been prepared for.

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Originally published by The Guardian Environment Read original →

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