Incident & emergency beach works
We are the UK’s specialist national contractor for earthmoving, crushing & recycling, and flood, coast & marine defence works.
Rapid, specialist response to changing coastal conditions
Storms, high tides and severe weather can rapidly alter beach profiles, displace shingle and other material, expose coastal defences and increase the immediate risk of erosion, overtopping and flooding. OEC provides specialist incident and emergency beach works, helping prepare vulnerable frontages ahead of severe weather and respond quickly following storm events.
Our capabilities include emergency beach reprofiling, shingle redistribution, storm damage repairs and restoration of beach crest levels and profiles. Where required, our teams can also support beach nourishment and beach recycling works as part of a wider coastal response.
Incident beach works often require quick mobilisation into demanding coastal environments. Our operational experience, specialist fleet and practical understanding of tidal working enable us to respond efficiently when weather, tides and coastal conditions create restricted working windows.
Where advance intervention is required, we can help strengthen vulnerable beach profiles ahead of forecast storms. Following severe weather, we can support assessment and recovery works, redistributing displaced material and restoring beach profiles to help reinstate the required level of coastal protection. By restoring beach volumes, crest levels and engineered profiles, our teams help reinforce vulnerable sections of coastline and maintain the effectiveness of wider flood and sea defence systems. Works can form part of an immediate emergency response, post-storm repair programme or wider beach maintenance and coastal recovery programme.
We work closely with client teams, coastal engineers, local authorities, Environment Agency teams and Tier 1 contractors to establish priorities quickly and develop practical methodologies for the site and conditions. We always consider:
- The immediate coastal risk
- Required beach profile
- Available beach material
- Plant requirements
- Site access
- Tidal windows
- Weather forecasts
- Environmental considerations
- Public safety
- Programme constraints
The result is a coordinated response focused on restoring coastal protection safely, efficiently and as quickly as conditions allow.
Pevensey Bay
Seaford
Frequently Asked Questions
Need to know more?
Incident beach works are responsive coastal management operations undertaken before or after severe weather, storms, high tides or other events that affect the condition and protective performance of a beach. Works can include beach reprofiling, shingle redistribution, beach recycling and storm damage repairs.
OEC can support emergency beach management through beach and shingle reprofiling, redistribution of displaced material, restoration of beach crest levels, beach recycling and associated coastal earthworks. The precise response is determined by the condition of the frontage and the client’s coastal engineering requirements.
Yes. Where required, preventative beach works can be undertaken ahead of severe weather to reinforce vulnerable areas, restore beach profiles or redistribute material to improve the resilience of the frontage against forecast wave action, high tides and storm conditions.
Wave action and high-water levels can move significant quantities of sand or shingle, lowering beach crests, changing beach gradients and exposing coastal defences. Post-storm beach works can redistribute this material and reprofile the beach to restore its protective function.
Emergency beach reprofiling involves mechanically reshaping a beach following, or in preparation for, severe weather. Existing sand or shingle is moved to restore specified levels, gradients and crest profiles that help reduce erosion, overtopping and coastal flood risk.
Beach recycling is generally a planned coastal management activity in which existing beach material is redistributed along a frontage. Incident beach works are responsive and may be required following storm damage or ahead of severe weather. Beach recycling and reprofiling can therefore form part of an incident response.
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