A MAJOR scheme to prevent a section of one of the region’s main tourist routes slipping into the North Sea has moved a step closer.

Balfour Beatty has been awarded the £7m contract to design and build a coastal protection scheme along the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast, at Sandsend, three miles north of Whitby.

The project, for North Yorkshire County Council, is needed to protect a section of the A174 which take traffic from Teesside to Whitby.

It is also heavily relied on by the community of Sandsend to reach nearby Whitby but is currently threatened by erosion and slope failures.

The area has a long history of landslips and campaigners have been battling for years to get work done to stabilise the road and reinforce flood defences.

The scheme will also protect 16 houses in the village from the effects of storms and wave action through the construction of about 780m of concrete-stepped revetment sea defences.

There will also be supporting infrastructure such as public access steps, pedestrian crossings and public amenity areas. The highway will also be widened in places to accommodate extra parking to encourage more visitors to the area.

The project has been designed to be carried out sustainably through the break-up, reuse and relocation of existing sea defence material.

And all consequent surplus will be transported to a designated fill area on the seaward side of the A174.

The A174 itself will remain open to traffic and pedestrians at all times throughout the construction phase.