PRAISE has been paid to the engineer who led the major scheme to provide coastal protection for Lyme Regis ahead of his retirement.

Residents and community leaders have paid tribute to Nick Browning , who attended his last Coastal Forum meeting in Lyme Regis last week before bringing his career to an end.

Mr Browning was thanked by those closely involved with the project over the last three decades to help save Lyme Regis from the sea.

At the meeting, Roy Gollop said he remembered being involved with Mr Browning when the Coastal Forum was formed 26 years ago.

"I had the privilege of being in the technical group" he said.

"We worked together with the engineers, and the engineers took on board what the locals wanted. They had to do the technical side, but we got 95 percent of everything we put forward for the town.

"It has been a privilege to have worked with the engineers and the council since they started."

The public meeting at the Marine Theatre gave residents an update on the coastal protection works following the completion of the fourth phase, the £21million project to stabilise Church Cliff and East Cliff.

Mr Browning said he remembered the first meeting at Woodmead Halls when he was operating the overhead projector.

“Ever since then I feel quite privileged to have worked on good, useful, interesting work here and elsewhere in west Dorset, such as West Bay,” he said.

“I have really enjoyed having this work to do and enjoyed the people most of the time. I do hope the Coastal Forum will continue through the years and the scheme will continue to produce good results for the Cobb.”

Mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr Sally Holman thanked Mr Browning on behalf of the town and personally, having worked closely with him since the start of phase two.

She wished him well in his retirement and invited residents to join her after the meeting in an informal thanks to Mr Browning and the team involved in delivering phase four.

The meeting also heard about plans for phase five, which will strengthen and restore the Cobb and is expected to cost around £4million.