A NESTING site for sand martins is being built on the North-East coast.

Members of South Tyneside’s Coastal Conservation Group are working with National Trust rangers from Souter Lighthouse and The Leas on the project at Whitburn Coastal Park.

By providing an artificial nesting bank of 128 holes, with a grass roof and weasel baffles to prevent predators entering, the plan is to offer birds a safe, stable place to breed.

Numbers will hopefully increase and the species will thrive in the long term.

Dougie Holden, who is a group member and a ranger, said: “Over the years we’ve improved the coastal park for wildlife, including installing bird feeding stations and creating ponds.

“We were all over the moon when we got the go-ahead from South Tyneside Council to build the sand martin colony.”

At the last count, there were around 60 pairs of sand martins nesting in the cliff tops around Whitburn and Marsden.

Mr Holden said: “They belong to the same family as swallows and are summer visitors to the UK, arriving in late March or early April after spending the winter in Africa. We’ve already noticed one or two birds flying over the site, as if they’re checking out the new build. We’re hoping to see the first birds take up residency in the spring of 2018.”