I know the word vandalisation isn’t in the dictionary, but it’s the only word I can express at the horror of witnessing the authorised destruction or removal of vegetation by English Nature from our seawalls constructed of earth.

Recently, my brother and I did our usual 15 to 16-mile day’s walking, starting at Alresford, proceeding along the side of the River Colne, passing Wivenhoe, then on to Colchester.

We crossed the first bridge and continued down the other side of the Colne to Rowhedge, then on to Roman River, finishing at Fingeringhoe Mill.

It was a lovely walk, with high tide most of the time, and more than six hours of glorious sunshine.

What spoilt the day was seeing four operators, employed on behalf of English Nature, with aggressive cutting machinery (three lots on two sides of the Colne and one on the Roman River).

It was sad to see wellestablished trees, bushes and shrubbery being hacked down to ground level on the top and sides of the seawalls. What a mess!

I believe the man-made walls were constructed after the 1953 floods to protect low-lying areas.

There are notices along the wall stating this is for a ve g e t a t i o n - cl e a r a n c e scheme to protect the walls – but will it? Or will this weaken the structure?

No one has seen this work being advertised in the press or public notices.

Rowhedge residents are concerned about this work being down.

Their concerns are the collapse of the seawall, resulting in flooding.

After the hackers have removed trees and undergrowth from the top and sides, the finished article looks horrendous, and no thought has been given to the loss of habitat for wildlife.

The seawall tops are, in most cases, public footpaths, and the work has created a danger to walkers after heavy rain, with the stumps of undergrowth pushing through the mud which has been churned up. You can see rabbit and badger holes, but not halfburned stumps.

Over the course of time these walls have been strengthened by grass, bracken and roots of bushes binding the earth banks together.

Will this work gradually kill off all under roots, thus weakening the earth walls?

People who we have met on our walks are asking the same question. Their other concern is rising sea levels associated with flooding – we can’t afford to weaken our coastal defences.

Have other walkers or ramblers noticed the destruction of our sea walls in their walking areas?

Apparently, this work is being carried out all over the country.

Over the past 19 years my hobby has been footpaths across the countryside. It was a pleasure to take in the beauty of our lovely landscape. The seawalls alongside our creeks and rivers were a pleasure to the eye and pleasant to walk on. Now parts of it are bare and barren and an eyesore.

BD Stimpson
Hawhendon Road
Clacton