SOUTH Milton Sands has been so damaged by the recent storms and high tides that the car park may need relocating.

Sand dunes, fences and boardwalks have been destroyed and sand dunes are undercut and unstable.

The car park and the beach are open, but the loss of the natural sea defences is likely to mean more damage if the bad weather continues.

The National Trust, which acquired the land behind the beach in 1980, owns part of the one-kilometre beach. The Trust received several nominations and awards in 2008 for its work removing the artificial sea defences and recreating a sand dune system that is flexible and more likely to withstand rising sea levels.

A Trust spokesman said: 'This site will be vulnerable to continuing damage over the long term because of the loss of a key part of the natural defences. It is now subject to natural processes, so the trust will monitor how the dune system changes. We may have to consider further works in consultation with local people if the property has been subject to a large storm event that may have compromised access to the property.'

The Trust recognises that the coastline is ever-changing and evolving and bases its policies on the knowledge that the coast will erode, meaning we need to accept that we have to adapt to climate change rather than attempting to avoid natural processes with man-made defences.

The spokesman continued: 'The Trust's intention is to take a long-term view. It will work with partners and aims to understand the circumstances of each site to develop management solutions that can adapt to the processes of coastal change.

'The Trust aims to work with the natural processes of coastal erosion and accretion wherever possible and will only support interference where we believe there is an overriding benefit to society in social, economic or environmental terms.'