Did the dredging at Hallsands that caused it to be washed away create the problem ?
The dredging of shingle from between the low and high water mark upto 1902 caused a fairly immediate loss of beach at Hallsands with the village becoming more vulnerable and eventually being extensively damaged in 1902 and 1917. But, there appears to have been no corresponding change in fortunes for Slapton Sands . According to the Scott Wilson report : The historical data analysis suggests that in overall terms the Slapton Sands shingle ridge has been largely stable over the last century, but with some net beach accretion at Strete gate and recession at Torcross. The report goes onto say : Long-term net erosion rates for the crest of the barrier are low, with a best estimate over 100 years of 0.1m/year for the centre of the Bay. Analysis of a number of maps and photographs for different periods of time between 1890 and the present day all indicate little overall movement of the crest. However, over shorter time periods rates of 0.4-0.6m have been found.
