Shingle is being replaced along the coast to help reduce the risk of flooding.

Recent storms that have battered Sussex have caused erosion on the beach in Lancing, prompting the Environment Agency to replenish shingle on the coast.

Around 12,000 cubic metres of shingle, equivalent to almost five Olympic-size swimming pools, is being moved between Shoreham and Lancing to help provide better flood protection for communities.

Nick Gray, flood and coastal risk manager at the Environment Agency, said: “We are taking shingle from Shoreham Fort and moving it along the beach to the eroded area at Lancing Beach Green.

“In the winter months, it is essential that the shingle beach is maintained to ensure it continues to provide protection to homes and businesses in Shoreham and Lancing.

“Sea levels are projected to rise by over one metre in the South of England over this century, and with more frequent powerful storms also predicted, the risk of increased coastal erosion and flooding is likely.”

The shingle recycling will help to maintain the flood defences offered by the beach, and to provide the standard of protection required by the coastal defence scheme, completed by the Environment Agency in partnership with Worthing Borough Council in 2005.

The shingle is loaded into dump trucks by an excavator, which then transports the material along the beach to where it is needed.

Bulldozers then position the material into the beach profile.

The beach will remain open, but the Environment Agency has urged the public to be cautious and to keep a safe distance from working machinery.

Residents living in a flood risk area are urged to check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest information by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or visiting gov.uk/check-flood-risk.