Walking along the western promenade in Worthing on Monday, a week after the storm, I was horrified to see how much of the shingle had disappeared and how close that part of the town came to being flooded.

It's possible one more puff and the shingle defences in many places would have completely failed. Yes, the storm coincided with one of the highest tides of the year but it wasn't that exceptional - so what had nearly caused a catastrophe? Was it something to do with the timber still on the beach?

Although some of the beach is still cordoned off, it was possible to look more closely at other places where the shingle had disappeared and a pattern was evident.

It was worse at places where the dumper trucks used for moving the timber had been climbing the shingle after driving along the sand.

Clearly they had carved out a channel for the sea to enter and erode the defences.

As many have commented, the saga of the timber removal has been a disgrace. It could have been a disaster for the town if the the sea had invaded.

On a happier note it's clear someone has listened to the criticism as lorries have been removing the timber from the beach - as originally suggested - but how long will it be before all the splintered pieces are found?

  • John Tyler, West Sussex Green Party Kent Road Littlehampton