Shoeburyness’s East Beach and Common Beach could be underwater by 2040 (Image: Getty)
A popular seaside town that attracts thousands of visitors each year could soon be without its beloved .
Shoeburyness, often chosen as an alternative day-trip to the nearby Southend-on-Sea, boasts two beaches – East Beach and Shoebury Common Beach.
These spots are less well-known than some of other beaches, but they offer excellent facilities and are a favourite for those looking to cool off in the sea during the warmer months.
East Beach is a holder, signifying that it meets the highest standards for beaches. Conveniently located just a short walk from the railway station and with reasonable parking costs, it’s a hit with visitors.
The East Beach in Shoeburyness (Image: Anna Willis)
However, despite the Government’s flood risk summary stating that East Beach has a ‘very low’ annual chance of flooding now and between 2040 and 2060, there is still cause for concern, reports .
Sadly, the report warns that areas close to rivers or the sea “are more likely to flood when water levels rise”. While flood defences can reduce the risk, they can fail or have water overflow.
The team at Climate Central, an American non-profit research organisation dedicated to studying the ramifications of climate change, have conjured up a chilling projection showing that Shoebury’s East Beach and Common Beach may find themselves submerged on an annual basis by 2040 – a mere blink away in terms of climatic forecasts.
The group’s assertions rely on peer-reviewed science published in prestigious journals, though they concede the inclusion of large datasets could introduce certain inaccuracies.
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“Our approach makes it easy to map any scenario quickly and reflects threats from permanent future sea-level rise well,” they noted.
The alarming map explains: “Areas lower than the selected water level and with an unobstructed path to the ocean are shaded red. By default, areas below the water level but that appear to be protected by ridges (and in the U.S., levees) are not shaded.”
The experts added: “Our approach makes it easy to map any scenario quickly and reflects threats from permanent future sea-level rise well. However, the accuracy of these maps drops when assessing risks from extreme flood events.
“Our maps are not based on physical storm and flood simulations and do not take into account factors such as erosion, future changes in the frequency or intensity of storms, inland flooding, or contributions from rainfall or rivers.”