Sussex is to share in a £11million Government handout to cope with rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

Under the plans, the money could be used by 15 councils including East Sussex County Council, Chichester District Council and Hastings Borough Council to buy land to relocate homes at risk from changes to the coastline.

The fund could also be used to construct artificial sand dunes or build new boardwalks along threatened stretches of coastlines.

In a written statement to Parliament, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "Between now and spring 2011, these 15 pathfinders will explore a range of approaches to both building capacity and finding practical solutions."

Projects range from creating new sand dunes and building boardwalks to, where properties are at risk, developing of 'buy to let' schemes and the purchase of land to rebuild properties at risk.

Erosion already affects 30% of the English coastline and other areas are at risk of flooding, with the threat of climate change potentially making the problem worse.

Outside the Commons, Mr Benn said: "Our coastline has always been shaped by the sea and as climate change takes hold the risk of coastal change will only increase.

"That is why we need to help our coastal communities to adapt to this change.

"No one can know or understand what these communities need better than the communities themselves and with this funding they will be able to work together, to better prepare their people and businesses by adapting to local change."

In March last year, Eastbourne Borough Council was given £264,000 by the Environment Agency to deposit huge amounts of shingle - dredged from the seabed - onto the coastline in and around Eastbourne, where levels had fallen to a critical low.

Two months before that, the owner of Europe's largest caravan park shelled out £1 million to improve sea defences to save 2,500 caravans.

John Bunn, who owns Bunn Leisure, spent the money to save the static homes at West Sands Caravan Site, on Medmerry Beach, in Selsey, near Chichester, from being destroyed by the advancing sea.