East Suffolk Council
Work to locate Gunton oil deposits to begin
Beginning on Monday 18 October, specialist contractors will be on site at Lowestoft North Beach to undertake detailed site investigations to locate and quantify oil deposits which have been in situ since the historic Eleni V spill in 1978.
Expected to take one week, work will involve a tracked rig moving along the affected area of beach, probing at intervals to detect the deposits.
People are asked to take care if visiting the beach whilst the rig is operational.
Cllr James Mallinder, cabinet member for the Environment said: “Establishing the extent of the buried oil deposits will give us the information necessary to make a detailed assessment of the risks they pose to beach users and the wider environment. What happens next will depend on the results of our analysis of the findings of the survey work. Any excavations at the site may affect the rate of coastal erosion, and the surrounding environment, and so any decision about removing the deposits will be carefully considered.”
Earlier this year, large outcrops of oil were exposed following a spate of high tides and some of the loose drier material was removed by East Suffolk Norse, working with a specialist disposal company. During the summer, the beach has built up, re-covering the previously exposed material. Any freshly exposed material will be dealt with in a similar manner.
If you are concerned by any exposed material, please call 03330 162000.