Newhaven has suffered the onslaught of 3 storms over the last two weeks, the worst occuring on Monday 8th followed by another on Thursday 11th. Both these saw winds gusting up to 60 knots and these from the SE quadrant, the worst direction for the port to encounter.

The West Promenade suffered severe damage to the sea wall, the coping, the car park area, the fencing and the railings. Large chunks of concrete were thrown through the air during the climax of the storms. Waves were breaking over the top of the wall and flooding the Promenade.

For the safety of the public, the gates to the Promenade were closed to prevent vehicular access. On health & safety advice, the gates will remain closed until repairs have been carried out. Insurance loss adjusters were on site last week to assess the damage and produce cost estimates and reports to the insurance company. Quotations have now been received from local contractors and work will hopefully commence shortly.
Newhaven Port & Properties Ltd regret any inconvenience caused.

Damage was also sustained to the timber fendering on the western side of the Narrows and to the sheet piling at the north end of the East Pier. Several shed and building rooves were damaged too. All repair work will hopefully be underway shortly.

There is also significant "damage" that the eyes cannot see. The extreme conditions have caused a large amount of siltation in the harbour that requires removing by dredger to maintain the safety of shipping. Up to 1.5m depth of silt has encroached into the Outer Port area due to the heavy seas and swell. A dredger is due to arrive this week.  

Never under-estimate the power of the sea.