REPAIR work has begun on the historic Cobb in Lyme Regis following damage from severe storms that lashed the county earlier this year.

Beaches in Lyme Regis were strewn with litter washed up from the beaches and trees that had also been washed up, with some trees measuring up to 30 feet long.

The Cobb and grade two listed buildings on the Cobb Pier were also damaged by harsh waves and powerful winds.

Now, teams from Western Power Distribution are working on behalf West Dorset District Council (WDDC) to repair the mains power supply to the Cobb buildings and installing ducts to allow pipe and cables to be replaced easier in the future.

Lyme Regis deputy harbourmaster Mike Higgs said the work is ‘vital’ after the storms earlier this year.

He added: “The work is running to schedule and isn’t causing much disruption.

“In fact, many people are intrigued with the work because they have never seen a trench so big around the harbour.

“The work is a positive step for Lyme and after the severe storms it simply had to be done.”

A WDDC spokesman said that work on the Cobb began approximately two weeks ago and apologised to the public for any disruption while the work takes place.

Workmen could be seen lifting large stones from the Cobb before using tracing paper and numbering each stone to ensure they are returned to the correct location.

The spokesman added that due to the nature of the job, it would be difficult to say when the work will be completed.

West Dorset District Council Leader Cllr Robert Gould added: “The district council is working on the first stage of repairing storm damage to the harbour that occurred last winter.

“Due to the historic importance of the structures, this needs to be done extremely carefully, with appropriate materials.

“The current work is to repair the mains power supply to the Cobb buildings and install ducts to allow pipes and cables to be replaced more easily in the future.”