A KEY phase of a £9.3 million scheme to replace worn-out coastal defences beside a road linking two of North Yorkshire's most popular resorts is set to get underway.

A 1km stretch of the A174 between Whitby and Sandsend will be closed at night for up to three weeks from November 9 as specialist equipment, including a 135-tonne crane, and materials are brought on to site.

The work, which is being funded with £4.54 million from North Yorkshire County Council and £4.78 million from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, will include the replacement of the concrete defences and stabilisation and redesigning of the boulder clay slope above the A174.

A council spokesman said over recent winters it had increasingly had to carry out urgent repair work to collapses in the concrete defences as well as to slips above the road, which had resulted in the road being closed.

He said: "The A174 at this point is a major tourist route and is therefore essential for the economic prosperity of the area.

"The road has suffered from a history of landslips and has required the council to undertake costly repairs over the years.

“We appreciate that the night closures beginning next week will cause inconvenience but installation of the crane platform is a complex activity and requires the use of large items of plant.

"Undertaking these works under road closure at night protects the public and enables the works to be completed in as short a time as possible.”

The scheme, which began in June, is expected to be completed in April, weather and conditions permitting.