ROUTINE beach maintenance to improve coastal defences at Avon Beach and Friars Cliff in Christchurch was completed on Friday.

The work, which was carried out by Christchurch Borough Council, aimed to protect the borough's coastline and provide increased protection against future storms.

Contractor Earlcoate Construction carried out the maintenance, which involved extracting beach material from the sandbar which is just off-shore of the Avon Beach frontage and distributing the extracted material to recharge bays along Avon Beach and Friars Cliff.

Groyne markers were repaired and 100 tonnes of rock armour was added to re-build sections of the groynes.

Suitable material was also moved from areas with excess material along Highcliffe Beach in order to recharge the depleted area adjacent to the wave wall at Friars Cliff.

The work was completed on Friday, with the compound and machinery set to be removed from the current location early this week.