WEST Somerset Council has drawn up a plan of action to tackle a shifting ridge of shingle at Minehead Harbour, following the most extreme tides in the Bristol Channel in two centuries and build-up on a scale and speed not seen in more than 20 years.

It comes as the own’s lifeboat officials called this week for the ridge of pebbles blocking the entrance to the town’s harbour to be urgently removed.

Now the council, as harbour authority, is working closely with its technical advisers on the problem, but is confident the harbour remains safely accessible to current users.

A notice to local mariners is being issued to alert those who may not be aware of the pebble bank ewhich has been washed up the channel. It will also be posted on the council’s website and a warning sign will be installed on the harbour wall.

The RNLI said the ridge was presenting a real hazard to both boats and beach users and called on the council to make every effort to clear the obstruction before the holiday season starts.

It said the ridge had stopped boats directly accessing the steps at the end of the harbour, led to a build-up of mud and silt several feet deep, and lifeboat crew members and coastguards had already had to rescue an elderly man who became trapped waist deep in the mud while trying to cross it.

West Somerset Council said visiting boats have a legal duty to contact ports they plan to visit to make sure they are aware of any issues that may affect harbours and can safely navigate their way in and out.

The council cleared shingle from the harbour in April this year and deposited the spoil in previously used sites.

Officers regularly monitor the site and will continue to do so. A build-up of shingle was noted in October and this has continued to increase.

“The size and shape of the shingle bank is changing almost daily,” said Cllr Martin Dewdney, whose environment portfolio includes harbours.

“This year we have seen the most extreme tides in the Bristol Channel in two centuries and we have certainly not seen a build-up on this scale and speed in more than 20 years.”

The council is currently assessing the cost and effectiveness of shifting the tons of shingle at a time of year when high winds and strong tides could simply wash it back.

A harbour board is in the process of being set up to oversee both Minehead and Watchet harbours and the council is also recruiting an assistant harbour master to work alongside its technical advisers. The post-holder will be the initial point of contact for boat-owners and harbour users.

Cllr Dewdney said a good working relationship had been established with Watchet boat-owners for constructive discussions and he hoped a similar model could be set up in Minehead to improve dialogue with the council.

RNLI local operations manager Dr John Higgie said the current obstruction had become unacceptably dangerous.

“There is nothing to mark the ridge when it is covered by the tide and it could be absolutely lethal for any boat owner who is unfamiliar with the area,” he said.

“One of the local fishing boats has already run onto the stones but that was a fairly minor incident.

“Our worries are around what happens when we start to get visiting yachts again because their keels would simply be ripped off if they hit the stones.

“It is vital the harbour remains open and usable as a refuge for boats along this stretch of coast.

“Because of the natural drift of material from the cliffs to the west it has to be accepted that there is always going to be some sort of problem at the mouth of the harbour, though it can be kept in check with regular maintenance.

“But what we are looking at now is a major obstruction and the longer it is allowed to remain there and growing with every tide the more expensive is going to be the operation to remove it.”