Leigh Belton Way huge stone-filled cages installed

Part of the road and pavement along Belton Way, in Leigh, has been closed since February after a collapsed wall sparked fears of a cliff slip.

Gabion baskets – large stone-filled cages – have now been installed along a 100-metre stretch of Belton Way to shore up the cliffs and the road was temporarily reopened over the Easter weekend to help “keep disruption to a minimum”.

The work at Belton Way comes as pavements in part of Cliff Parade, Leigh, remain closed due to burrowing badgers causing instability.

Carole Mulroney, Lib Dem councillor for Leigh, said: “This is excellent news.

“The council has installed approximately 100 metres of gabion baskets and resurfaced the associated footway. It has also constructed a parks access to ensure maintenance can be carried out on the wider slope area in future.

“Something had to be done quickly, although it had been planned and budgeted for already.”

Mrs Mulroney insists there is no danger to the public as the cliffs are “constantly monitored”.

She added: “We don’t want more cliff slippages, or for anyone to be injured. It’s an essential area, as one of the main seafront routes through Leigh.

“Therefore, work was done as soon as the funding was available. It’s a quick response to a situation which has been planned for and fully funded.”

Southend Council closed pavements in Cliff Parade, between Leigh Hill and Avenue Road, and a small section between the junction of Cliff Parade, Sea Reach and Cliff Parade in February 2023 after checks on the roads and pavements found “ongoing deterioration”.

The instability of Cliff Parade is being made worse by burrowing badgers which cannot be disturbed by law. Therefore, £2million repair work has been delayed and the road closure was extended until the August 2025.

Mrs Mulroney says the works at Belton Way show progress is being made, but it forms part of a “much wider” issue.

She added: “The badgers at Cliff Parade are another ongoing problem.”