The government has awarded grants worth £11m to fifteen local authorities who have come up with the best and most innovative ideas for dealing with and adapting to coastal change.

The winning local authorities come from all around the English coast, amongst them being South Hams District Council in Devon, Dorset County Council, East Sussex County Council, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Lincolnshire County Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside and Somerset County Council. Each has come up with its own 'pathfinder' scheme to work with communities and find ways of dealing with a changing coastline. Projects range from creating new sand dunes and building boardwalks to - where properties are at risk - the development of buy to let schemes and the purchase of land to rebuild properties at risk.

A total of 20 bids for funding were received and the programme will run from November 2009 until Spring 2011. Pic: Dorset County Council will receive £376,500 to work with a number of communities on the Dorset/East Devon 'Jurassic coast'