West Dorset’s coastline suffered more than a decade's worth of erosion following Storm Ciarán.

The storm battered the area in November - and at Burton Bradstock the lower wall at Hive Beach, which protects the car park, was breached for the first time in its history.

Damage was not only caused to the wall but benches for wheelchair users were destroyed, and dangerous debris was flung all over the beach.

READ: Pictures: Storm Ciarán brings floods and destruction to West Dorset

Along the coast at Cogden, the waves crashed over the shingle spit to the reedbeds behind carving out a deep, wide channel as it retreated through the spit.

Meanwhile, in Purbeck a section of beach at Studland was also gouged out by the storm.

The National Trust’s annual Wildlife and Climate review now says that 15 years’ worth of erosion was caused to the Jurassic Coast in just one day.

READ: Clean up operation underway in west Dorset after storm chaos

Commenting on the levels of erosion seen, Ben McCarthy, head of nature and restoration ecology at the National Trust said: “Ciarán created coastal change at three of our places at a rapid pace.

“It was like a starting gun going off, and now these breaches have happened, it’s likely erosion will accelerate much more quickly.

“The damage we sustained is a clear indication of how the frequency and intensity of storms together with rising sea-levels is likely to accelerate erosion and will require us to look at how we adapt and change how we care for the sites to cope with future impacts.”

The National Trust has also said that milder temperatures were having a negative impact on wildlife and nature, which comes after this year is expected to be the warmest on record globally.

READ: National Trust say damage from storm a first for Hive Beach

Mr McCarthy added: “The shifting weather patterns we’re seeing in the UK, particularly with the warmer temperatures we’re experiencing is continuing to upset the natural, regular rhythm of the seasons, causing stress to wildlife and making it more susceptible to pests and disease.

“This loss of predictability causes chaos for the annual behaviours of animals in particular, but can also impact trees and plants.

Keith Jones, National Climate Change Consultant at the National Trust said: “When you consider the extreme temperatures and heatwaves that have devastated parts of Europe and other countries this year, we have been extremely fortunate.

READ: Storm Ciaran destroys special benches at Hive Beach

"We were just 1,000 miles away from experiencing a second year of serious drought and record-breaking temperatures which would have had huge consequences for nature, people and food production.

“But, we can’t allow ourselves to be lulled into any sense of false security. In the near future we are likely to experience a combination of drought and high temperatures as well as high rainfall and flood – and we need to get ready for this new ‘norm’.

"Water is going to be key – not having enough and also not too much.”