Observer column 16 January 2026

Cllr Glenn Haffenden, leader of the council

If you’ve been out and about over the last few days you might have noticed some of the damage that Storm Goretti did to our seafront overnight from Thursday 8 to Friday 9 January. Some areas of the country were hit by winds of almost 100mph. We didn’t see wind as strong as that, but the sea did cause damage along our seafront. 

Our coastal team was out first thing on Friday morning working from Rock-a-Nore in the east to the borough boundary in the west to check what had been done and what repairs needed to be arranged. 

Most of the promenade was covered in shingle – with some making it onto the upper promenade which does not happen very often, showing the strength of the wind and the sea.  

Bottle Alley was filled with shingle and partly flooded, but the businesses that operate out of there look to have avoided serious damage which is good news. Unfortunately, businesses on the lower promenade were not so lucky, with many suffering severe damage to their furniture. It was great to see so many people out helping clear areas to get them back open again as soon as possible. 

There was significant damage to beach huts across all areas, with the huts being moved, doors damaged and many of them being filled with shingle. The beach huts at White Rock were pushed up the beach into the sea wall, and the huts at West Marina were also damaged and pushed out of place. These are the responsibility of the developer of this site, who has been updated and is due to meet the team this week. 

The area between West of Haven and Glyne Gap was less affected, with some of the privately owned huts suffering roof damage, and some of the boat equipment affected.  

The car parks at Rock-a-Nore were also damaged, with some immediate repair work completed, and other work to be completed.  

Contractors have started work to remove the shingle on the promenade this week and they will then be working to put the beach huts back into position and clear the car parks.  

I’d like to thank the coastal team for their hard work checking the damage and making quick repairs and sourcing contractors where needed to make sure things are back to normal as soon as possible. 

On a separate note, we are still looking for community groups and organisations to send us expressions of interest for holding events at White Rock Gardens. Whether you’ve got visions of a single event or multiple events on the site, we’d like to hear from you. We have £5,000 to help organisers run events over the summer at the site, as part of our plan to improve the area and make better use of the space. You can find out more on our website. Please send your suggestions by Monday 19 January.