Lyme Regis, Dorset was granted Royal Charter by King Edward 1 in 1284. It is a gateway town to a designated World Heritage Site including 95 miles of coastline with exposed geological interest spanning a period of 185 million years. The tiny fishing harbour and its promontary, The Cobb, form a major coastal defence.

Workers from Systems Geotechnique install stabilisation piles in Langmoor Gardens as part of a £16m coastal protection programme which includes the installation of 1100 piles and soil anchors throughout the hillsides and the town. The harbour and The Cobb is visible in the background.

A worker for Mowlem, the main contractor for the scheme, supervises the placing of a 20 tonne piece of Larvic rock armour in the structural sea defence extension to The Cobb.

The Cobb, originally constructed as a coastal protection during the 13th century, reduces wave impact onto the beach. The further fortification of it, to reduce beach erosion, is being carried out by excavators using GPS guidance to aid precision placement of the new rock armour.