𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐧. Already the crisis has exposed how ill-suited our current systems and approaches are to the accelerating issue of coastal erosion. 𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Funding for the repair of the A379 Slapton Li

In the Chamber earlier today I raised the issue of coastal erosion with the Leader of the House, stressing the need for a coordinated, cross-departmental approach to support communities like Torcross that have suffered significant damage to homes, businesses and key infrastructure this winter.

The Slapton Line Partnership recently met to discuss coastal erosion in Start Bay and the ongoing situation with the A379 Slapton Line. In attendance were representatives from Devon County Council, South Hams District Council, and multiple Parish Councils, as well as the Environment Agency, the Field Studies Council, Natural England, and more. We had a broad discussion, covering everything from access for emergency services, supporting the Torcross and wider Start Bay communi

Dear Friend, Since my last update, I have continued to push for a sustainable, long-term solution to the challenge of coastal erosion in Start Bay. This included presenting my petition to parliament on Monday.   In the end, over 39,000 people signed my petition in just over two weeks, and I want to thank the businesses and residents who went above and beyond to spread it far and wide. Though the petition has been submitted, I’ve not stopped collecting signatures.   You see, I

I presented my petition on coastal erosion at Start Bay last night – you can watch it here.

In parliament later, I’ll be presenting my petition on coastal erosion at Start Bay – but before I do, let me say a massive thank you to the businesses and residents who’ve been busy collecting signatures. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨�

I had a great time at Slapton Sands this morning helping FSC Slapton Ley Field Centre  with their beach clean. Thanks to the recent storm weather, lots of litter has appeared along Slapton Sands and around Slapton Ley Nature Reserve. Armed with a litter picker, I got to work. There was plenty of fishing wire hidden amongst the seaweed, strips of plastic, even a comb! Thanks FSC Slapton Ley Field Centre  for organising.

The Environment Agency has issued a flood warning for Beesands, Torcross and Slapton for tomorrow morning during the high tide period.

I just asked the Prime Minister about the devastating storm damage to Start Bay and the closure of the A379.

met with Minister for Water and Flooding Emma Hardy and Minister for Roads and Buses Simon Lightwood earlier today.

Tomorrow I'll be making the case for local communities in the Start Bay area at the highest levels:

A member of my team joined a meeting earlier this week of businesses from the Start Bay area, organised by The Tradesman's Arms  in Stokenham. There was a great deal of discussion around the impact of the closure of the A379 on businesses, and how they can overcome the challenges it presents. Ideas such as a map of businesses and alternative routes, and central drop-off points for delivery drivers were discussed. My team have taken away a number of points including signage an

I had an interesting chat with James Morrison earlier today. James lives in Slapton and has spent years exploring the options for sustainable solutions to stopping and reversing the manmade damage in Start Bay caused by the historic dredging of the Skerries Bank.

Updated 9th February 2026 Below are answers to some of the questions that have been asked most often over the past week. 1)      Will the A379 be repaired? I fully understand the distress and frustration caused by the destruction to the A379 following recent storm damage Unfortunately, it is simply too soon to say if and when the A379 will be repaired. The situation continues to evolve, with more storms expected which could cause further damage. Investigations are still ongoi

This morning I spoke to BBC Radio Devon about the Slapton Line and the wider coastal erosion in Start Bay. You can listen below.

I popped into the Tower Inn at Slapton today to hear from Thea and Dan about how their business is already being affected by the broken A379.

An update following the first public meeting focusing on the Slapton Line & coastal erosion in surrounding villages I organised a meeting in Stokenham Village Hall, which unfortunately reached capacity prior to the meeting even starting. I was joined by: Julian Brazil - Leader of Devon County Council (DCC) Steve Mullineaux - Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Community Services, Economy and Infrastructure at South Hams District Council (SHDC) Laurel Lawford - South Hams D