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Fears beach ramp closure will last months

Dan HallWhitley Bay
Dan Hall/BBC The fenced off ramp at the southern end of Whitley Bay beach. Metal fencing blocks off the ramp, with a yellow sign reading DANGER KEEP CLEAR in capital letters. There are two red signs below, one saying pedestrians with an arrow pointing left and another saying footpath closed. St Mary's Lighthouse can be seen in the distance. A sign saying Welcome to Whitley Bay and a list of beach rules is in front of the fence. Dan Hall/BBC
The ramp at the south end of Whitley Bay beach has been closed since 30 October

Residents of a seaside resort are worried a damaged access path to their beach will be closed for months.

A fallen section of the lower promenade at the southern end of Whitley Bay has been closed since 30 October and North Tyneside Council, which found slight movement in the blocks on the side of the ramp, has not yet given a date for when it will reopen.

Denise Foulds, who has lived in Whitley Bay for 40 years, said: "It's going to get worse over the winter with the storms and the sea if they don't get it repaired now."

Dog walker Bev Henderson said the ramp has suffered frequent damage since it was built in 2018 because "that's where the waves are strongest when they come crashing in".

She said: "The ramp should be further north at the end of the prom."

Dan Hall/BBC Bev Henderson with her two dogs. A brown and white dog is on her right and a smaller black and brown dog is on her left. Bev is smiling and wearing a navy fleece, blue jeans and a beige baseball cap. The beach and a large wave can be seen behind her.Dan Hall/BBC
Bev Henderson thinks the ramp is in the wrong place

Sandra and Ron Aynsley, who regularly visit Whitley Bay to walk their dog Ruby, are concerned about how long the repairs will take.

They pointed to a damaged wall outside Spanish City which was fenced off in June 2025 and remained off limits for several months before repairs got under way.

"It was ridiculous because it looked so bad and it just took forever for them to put a few stones up," Sandra said.

"We think this is going to take even longer to repair."

North Tyneside Council Whitley Bay promenade. A concrete block and green and brown railings are lying on the sand below the ramp, shown side on, they fell from.North Tyneside Council
Blocks and railings have fallen on to the sand below

Pippa Fox, who often uses the ramp to get on to the beach with her dog Albie, said: "I guess for people with kids, if the barriers are not there the whole way it's not particularly safe."

North Tyneside Council said it was the first time the ramp had been closed, but areas around it had previously been fenced off when blocks were dislodged.

Inspections identified slight movement in some of the blocks and further investigations will be carried out.

"We expect to be able to reopen the ramp once we have confirmed the appropriate temporary measures required to allow safe access to the area," a spokesperson said.

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