The sea wall and railing at Jacob's Ladder where the work will be carried out - Credit: EDDC

Work to repair storm damage at Jacob’s Ladder sea wall will disrupt public access along the Millennium Walkway and Undercliff path for several weeks. 

A total of £200,000 worth of work will be carried out by East Devon District Council between Monday, September 19 and the start of November. 

Access will still be available from Jacob’s Ladder beach to the bottom of the Jacob’s Ladder staircase and the beach kiosk, but there will be no through access between Jacob’s Ladder beach and Town beach.  

During the work part of the Millennium walkway will be open, but it will be an effective dead end because of the works. As these progress, the closure of the Millennium Walkway and Undercliff walkway will move eastwards towards the town. 

The seawall and ramp have had many years of storm damage and require a new concrete face and a replacement ramp to ensure the structure is safe and functional into the future. Some of the railing will be turned into a solid wall.  

During the works a small compound will be set up in Manor Road Long stay car park, and the steep path down to Jacob’s Ladder will also see increased construction plant movements, although this will remain open to the public. Construction traffic may also track around from the west end of the Esplanade, there will be construction plant on the beach at Jacob’s Ladder. 

 A spokesperson for the council said: “These works are essential, and we have timed them to avoid the best part of the year for residents and holiday makers; however this needs to be done before the winter storms. 

 “With these works concluding in early November, we will fully reopen the Millennium Walkway and Undercliff path. Our contractors will then move to replace the emergency beach egress at East Beach. The current scaffold steps are prone to storm damage, so will be replaced with a bespoke metal stairway. Public access to East Beach is still not advised or encouraged due to the ongoing cliff falls, however an emergency access and egress will be provided for the foreseeable future.”