Dredging

Vincent May Professor of coastal Geomorphology, put together a report in 2007 titled, IMPACTS ON BEACH AND CLIFF STABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH EXTRACTION OF SEDIMENTS FROM BEACHES AND OFFSHORE: UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITIES' RESPONSES TO PERCEIVED RISK" after a 4 day meeting took place in July 2007 to discuss a range of coastal concerns. In this report Vincent tried to assertain the nature and cause of the level of erosion happening around the British shoreline.

Having had this Dilemma since the 1900's a report by the Royal Commission on Coast Erosion (RCCE) in 1911 stated that the removal of sand and gravel from beaches appeared to cause an acceleration in the level of erosion.
Jump back to the present day and the level of aggregate dredging has risen dramatically. However the British Government seem convinced that although they are potentially removing thousands of tonnes of sand and stone from the seabed they see that as having no effect on the near by coastlines.

Bizarrely enough reading the report, seems to suggest that although this is occurring the evidence to conclusively say that marine aggregate dredging is contributing to the localised erosion of coastal zones does not exist.