The 100-metre beach rock barrier aiming to protect Montrose's eroding coastline

A major coastal erosion project is nearing completion in an Angus town after its shoreline retreated by 120 metres over the past five decades.

The £350,000 initiative in Montrose includes the installation of a 100-metre-long rock structure known as groynes, acting as a barrier against crashing waves.

The rocks are designed to prevent sand and sediment from being moved along a coastline, which can lead to erosion.

“When they first started putting the groynes in, it was actually sinking in the sand,” said Councillor Tommy Stewart, convener of communities for Angus Council.

Angus Council's communities convener Tommy Stewart — Angus Council’s communities convener Tommy Stewart STV News

“So they’ve wrapped it in geotech-style, which is encouraging it to stay, but it has dropped about half a metre into the sand already.”

Previous measures have seen rocks filled into dunes and sections of road which were devastated by Storm Babet.

Dozens of sandbags have also been positioned at low points in an effort to shore up the coastline.

John Adams is the former chairman of the nearby Montrose Golf Links and now dedicates his time to monitoring coastal erosion levels.

“If you go back to ’74, we’ve lost about 120 metres of dunes, behind us,” he said.

“Prior to 1970, we lost about 13 metres in 70 years.

“There’s the reflection of how much it’s changing.”

Montrose Golf Links chairman John Adams STV News

John is encouraged by the recent action to respond to coastal erosion, but fears it could take millions of pounds more to tackle the issue head-on.

“The dangers are still there because either side of the sandbags is the weak area,” he added.

“Angus Council has done a great job; they are working very hard, but it’s the weak areas around it that’s the problem.

“The section behind us is just five metres away from being in Montrose. It’s not helpful.”

Angus Council plans to build a second structure of groynes in the future.

It will spend the next six months reviewing the success of its latest coastal erosion measure, as it continues to try to prevent the Montrose golf course from sinking into the North Sea.