Tag: Portobello Beach

Council invests £500,000 to protect Edinburgh’s coastline

Work to restore the iconic timber groynes on Portobello beach has been completed by the city council.

The five timber groynes constructed in the 1970s help to hold sand in place to prevent further erosion of the Capital’s important coastline.  

In November 2021, one of them was damaged during Storm Arwen and partially collapsed. Following a survey of all of the groynes, work was commissioned to repair and restore them.

Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “By investing half a million pounds in the repair of the groynes we are helping to protect the sand and coastal environment at Portobello so locals and visitors can continue to enjoy this popular beach in Edinburgh for many years to come.

“This announcement is very timely as we are promoting all the work the Council is doing to address climate change as part of ‘Climate Week’.

“Unfortunately, due to the climate emergency, storms are becoming all too common and I’m really pleased their restoration means we have good protection in place. It’s also great to hear the excess timber wasn’t wasted and was donated to locals including a community garden and artists.

“The iconic groyne structures are well known to locals and visitors and have become part of the landscape in the area so it’s great to see them restored to their former glory.”

Read our Climate Ready Edinburgh Plan 2024-2030

Portobello Central bathing water samples show NO RISK to public

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have updated their advice on bathing at Portobello Central after the latest water quality samples showed no risk to the public.

Results of a sample taken at Portobello Central bathing water on Thursday, 11th July showed water quality had returned to satisfactory levels and signage advising against bathing will be removed.

Signage was changed on Wednesday, 10th July to advise against bathing as a precautionary measure after analysis of routine samples indicated a high bacterial result. SEPA liaised closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Water.

A spokesperson for SEPA said: “Following visual checks of the beach and water sampling by our officers, SEPA have confirmed there is no impact on water quality at Portobello Central bathing water and will remove the signs advising against bathing.

“Water sampling will continue to take place throughout the bathing season as part of routine testing.

“We continue to work with our partners to improve Scotland’s water environment and make our summer visits to the beach safer and more enjoyable.”

Water Safety Event at Portobello Beach

As part of our ongoing work with partner agencies to keep people safe in Edinburgh, Community Police Officers met with the RNLI yesterday to deliver a water safety event at Portobello Beach.

During the day we spoke to a large amount of beach visitors and local businesses about beach safety and how to stay safe on our coastline.

We also had the pleasure of meeting the Keep Porty Tidy lobster!

See below for some safety tips from RNLI and HM Coastguard on how to stay safe this summer:

#FloatToLive – if you find yourself in difficulty in the waterIf you fall into the water, fight your instinct to thrash around

Lean back, extend your arms and legsIf you need to, gently move them around to help you float.

Float until you can control your breathing

Only then, call for help or swim to safety.

If you are using Stand-Up Paddle Boards (SUP):

Check the water and tides before you go, if in doubt, don’t go out.Take a fully charged phone in a waterproof pouch so you can call for help if you need it.

Be equipped – wear the right gear including a flotation aid and leash.

Please don’t use inflatables at our coast, they are not designed for open water. They will quickly drift out to sea, along with those on them.

If you do choose to use them, please make sure that they are properly secured and very closely supervised. If you do get blown out to sea, stay in your inflatable and call for help.

If you get into trouble in the water or coast, don’t wait, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard and they will send help. FAST.

#Edinburgh

#Portobello

#RespectTheWater

#999Coastguard

Safety signage on Portobello beach

Police Scotland is working with The City of Edinburgh Council and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to help make Portobello Beach safer for all.

At the end of March the Council installed new numbered signs at Portobello Beach on top of the marker posts at the far end of the existing beach groyne structures.

A jointly produced information video of the signs is now being released as part of the projects continuing efforts.

The signs provide an immediate and visually prominent location reference, not just to members of the public but also to attending emergency services, lifeboats, coastguard rescue teams and search & rescue helicopters.

Numbered 1 to 6, these signs are plotted on all emergency service, call and mapping systems:

Marker 1 – Pipe Lane

Marker 2 – Bath Street

Marker 3 – Bellfield Street

Marker 4 – John Street

Marker 5 – Bedford Terrace

Marker 6 – End of promenade at Joppa Road.

Police will continue working with partners as the year continues at Portobello.

In a beach or coastal emergency, please dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Safety First: New safety signage on Portobello beach

Police Scotland is working with the The City of Edinburgh Council and Maritime and Coastguard Agency to help make Portobello Beach safer for all.

This week, the Council will install new numbered signs on the top of the existing groyne beach defences at Portobello Beach.

In an emergency, direct experience tells us roads signs cannot be easily seen from the beach so the new signs will be much more visible, improving safety.

They measure approx. 600mm high and 450mm wide.

Numbered 1 to 6, the emergency services can use these numbered signs to plot your location in an emergency (see map).

Marker 1 – Pipe Lane
Marker 2 – Bath Street
Marker 3 – Bellfield Street
Marker 4 – John Street
Marker 5 – Bedford Terrace
Marker 6 – End of promenade at Joppa Road

Police will continue working with our partners as the year continues at Portobello.

In a coastal emergency, please dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Beach wheelchairs event at Porty this Saturday

wheelchairs
Portobello Beach Wheelchairs is a local community group which believes that everyone has the right to enjoy our beautiful beach. We are currently gathering public opinion and raising awareness of beach wheelchairs with the aim of raising funds to buy, store and maintain beach wheelchairs to be used by visitors to Portobello Beach.

Continue reading Beach wheelchairs event at Porty this Saturday