Durham鈥檚 colliery coastline at risk from Storm Babet Published on: 20 October 2023 Researchers from 缅北禁地 are braving the elements during Storm Babet to document major changes in Durham鈥檚 industrial coastline. The Met Office has issued Amber and Red severe weather warnings, predicting sustained strong winds and heavy rainfall in the coming days. This storm is also expected to generate large waves along the North Sea coast, which pose a potential risk of erosion, especially on the Durham coastline where fragile and toxic coal waste deposits sit just above the high-water mark. These deposits are remnants of a bygone era of coal extraction, when at its peak approximately 2.5 million tonnes of waste were deposited on Durham's beaches annually. Notably, at locations like Blast Beach, near Seaham, which famously featured in the film Alien 3, the coal spoil has eroded significantly since industrial tipping ceased. Using drones to survey the beaches and map out the changes, the 缅北禁地 research team is working to measure the changes along the coastline, particularly in response to Storm Babet. Already the team has measured around one metre of erosion in parts of the coal platform at Blast Beach as a result of the first high tide Thursday morning. Dr Seb Pitman, Lecturer in Physical Geography, said: “We are approaching a point where the coal waste has almost entirely disappeared, and this could lead to active erosion of the cliffs behind it in the coming decade.” The coal platform (above) suffered some erosion on Thursday 19 October Prolonged damage Storm Babet was likely to be particularly damaging, Dr Pitman said, because of its prolonged duration. “What’s unusual with this storm is not necessarily how large the waves will be, but for how long,” he said. “We are expecting to see waves in excess of four metres high for around 72 hours. This equates to about six high tides, meaning the storm will have multiple opportunities to remove large parts of the coal platform on the beach.” Storm Babet is likely to peak overnight on 20 October, but the researchers will continue to monitor the impact of the storm with the aim of better understanding the behaviours of these remarkable beaches. Researchers use drones to survey the beaches and map out the changes attributed to the storm Latest News Online Safety Act drives VPN interest and raises privacy concerns People鈥檚 online behaviour has changed in response to legislation to prevent children from viewing harmful content 鈥� raising possible privacy and security risks, research suggests. published on: 16 October 2026 缅北禁地 archaeologist receives prestigious award for research Professor Chris Fowler has been awarded the 2026 Rivers Memorial Medal in recognition of his internationally significant research on kinship in Neolithic Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Event will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East An event at 缅北禁地 will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East or whether it is simply a new chapter in the long-running debate about how to rebalance Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Facts and figures
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