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The Advertiser
12 hours ago
- Climate
- The Advertiser
Send in the sand: Stockton beach once again crippled by devastating erosion
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time. As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe. Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left. So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline. Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss. Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy. The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad". "It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said. "We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop." A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly. "This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said. "The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day." The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report. The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary. The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion. "Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says. "A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term." Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton. The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign. Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program. "It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution." City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage. The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan. "City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said. IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time. As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe. Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left. So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline. Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss. Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy. The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad". "It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said. "We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop." A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly. "This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said. "The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day." The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report. The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary. The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion. "Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says. "A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term." Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton. The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign. Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program. "It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution." City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage. The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan. "City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said. IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time. As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe. Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left. So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline. Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss. Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy. The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad". "It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said. "We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop." A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly. "This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said. "The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day." The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report. The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary. The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion. "Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says. "A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term." Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton. The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign. Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program. "It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution." City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage. The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan. "City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said. IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time. As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe. Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left. So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline. Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss. Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy. The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad". "It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said. "We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop." A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly. "This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said. "The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day." The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report. The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary. The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion. "Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says. "A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term." Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton. The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign. Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program. "It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution." City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage. The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan. "City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
Wales Online
17 hours ago
- Wales Online
Heroin-dealing pensioner caught with 700 street deals
Heroin-dealing pensioner caught with 700 street deals A judge said it was clear 70-year-old Gareth Evans was running a 'widespread and financially-thriving business' Gareth Evans (Image: South Wales Police ) A pensioner drug peddler was caught with enough heroin for 700 street deals, a court has heard. A judge said it was clear the 70-year-old was running a "widespread and financially-thriving business" from his Merthyr home. Ross McQuillan-Johnson, prosecuting, told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court that on January 30 this year police stopped a Vauxhall Mokka vehicle driving near Merthyr and searched the vehicle and the driver, the defendant Gareth Evans. Officers recovered five wraps of brown powder from the car. As a result of the discovery a search was executed at Evans' house and officers found £850 in cash and tubs and packages of heroin containing enough of the Class A drug to make around 700 street deals worth more than £21,000. Officers also recovered drugs paraphrenia including weighing scales, along with 10 boxes of bromazepam pills. The prosecutor said the phones seized by the police had not been interrogated. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter The court heard that Evans subsequently answered "no comment" to all questions asked in interview. Gareth Evans, of North Street, Dowlais, Merthyr, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply and to the simple possession of the Class C drug bromazepam when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. Article continues below He has two previous convictions for two offences - possession of heroin with intent to supply from 2013, and the simple possession of heroin in 2017. Ieuan Bennett, for Evans, said following his previous involvement with drugs the defendant had rid himself of heroin. However, he said, when Evans embarked on a new relationship with a woman who had substance misuse problems he took on the debts she had incurred "from her previous lifestyle". The barrister said even with the pressure that was being put on him, given Evans was in the "twilight of his life" and given his previous experience his client should not have involved himself in dealing drugs once more. Judge Jeremy Jenkins said following a stop-search of the defendant's car police had uncovered a "very large stash" of heroin at his home address, and he said it was clear Evans was running a "widespread and financially thriving business". He said the defendant knew from his past experiences about the ruthless nature of people in the drugs world and their pursuit of debts but had still chosen to involve himself in that world again. Article continues below With one-quarter discounts for his guilty pleas Evans was sentenced to 45 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers projections: Will Mike Evans break 1,000 receiving yards?
2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers projections: Will Mike Evans break 1,000 receiving yards? At this point, betting against Mike Evans hitting 1,000 yards is like betting against the heat during a September game in Raymond James. Since entering the NFL in 2014, Evans has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards every single season, 11 years in a row. That ties Jerry Rice's all-time record, and in 2025, Evans has a chance to stand alone in that category. Considering his chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield and a favorable schedule, there's every reason to believe he'll do it again. Evans has a Favorable Schedule Tampa's 2025 opponents provide Evans with plenty of opportunities to shine. In Week 3, the Bucs face the New York Jets, who ranked 20th in pass defense last season and lost cornerback D.J. Reed in the offseason. That secondary should be vulnerable to Evans' downfield threat, especially with added artillery in the pass game. Week 4 brings the Philadelphia Eagles, who finished first in pass defense in 2024. However, they lost key defensive linemen Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, which could weaken their pass rush and allow Baker Mayfield more time to find Evans downfield. Week 6 is a home game against the San Francisco 49ers, whose 21st-ranked pass defense got even shakier this offseason after losing safety Talanoa Hufanga and cornerback Charvarius Ward. Evans should have no problem finding soft spots in their secondary. The best matchup of all may come in Week 10 against the New England Patriots. They ranked 30th against the pass last season, and although they have added ex-Buccaneer Carlton Davis to pair with Christian Gonzalez, that game has all the makings of a 100-yard performance. He remains the Bucs' WR1 Despite entering his 12th season, Evans is still Baker Mayfield's No. 1 target. In 2023, the duo connected for 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns. With Chris Godwin drawing attention and young receivers in Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson adding depth, Evans will continue to see favorable coverage looks and red zone opportunities. Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard inherits a top-five offense and will likely keep the system rolling with Evans as the focal point in critical moments. Combine that with Evans' contract-year motivation and the chance to break a Hall of Fame record, and you get a player with every reason to dominate again. Final Prediction: Mike Evans finishes the 2025 regular season with over 1,000 receiving yards, becoming the first player in NFL history with 12 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons
West Australian
a day ago
- Sport
- West Australian
BBL Draft: Perth Scorchers champion Laurie Evans returns to club alongside David Payne in draft coup
Perth Scorchers championship-winner and fan favourite Laurie Evans is returning to the club after he was pinched from them by Melbourne Renegades last season. A year after the Renegades snared the English blaster at the Big Bash League's international player draft, Perth brought him back to the club with pick 17 on Thursday afternoon. Another former Scorcher, English left-arm quick David Payne, will also return to Perth. He was picked up with the very next selection. WATCH THE BIG BASH LEAGUE AND WOMEN'S BIG BASH LEAGUE DRAFTS ON 7PLUS The Scorchers used pick four to add Finn Allen to their list for the second year of his contract and then passed in the gold round before taking Evans as a silver player. Evans — who has played 25 matches and scored 653 runs for the Scorchers across the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons — was not retained by the Renegades, who instead took Pakistani wicket-keeper Muhammad Rizwan and Hassan Khan. The 37-year-old has strong relationships with senior Scorchers players and staff, including captain Ashton Turner. 'We're incredibly excited to have Laurie back, we missed him last year,' coach Adam Voges said. 'He is a crowd favourite in Perth and performed wonderfully well for us in his time there, so very excited. 'You see with both our picks, with Laurie and with David Payne, both have been with us before, have experienced the success we've had previously and hopefully they can come back and play their roles again and see how we go.' Pakistani white-ball weapon Shaheen Shah Afridi was taken by Brisbane Heat with the first pick in the draft. Payne has played six games for the Scorchers, including the qualifier victory against Sydney Sixers which sent Perth through to a home final against Brisbane Heat in 2023. He played 10 games for Adelaide Strikers in 2023-24, but didn't play at all in last summer's tournament. The one-time England international bolsters a pace attack that lost Jason Behrendorff in the off-season. Payne is a new-ball option, who can also bowl key death overs. It is now likely the Scorchers will use their final remaining domestic list spot on a spinner. Reigning Laurie Sawle medallist Corey Rocchiccioli, who has previously played for both Melbourne franchises, will become a frontrunner for that role, while Willetton spinner Luke Holt could also be considered. The Strikers took Luke Wood with pick two to bolster their pace stocks, while Sam Curran landed at Sydney Sixers with their first-round pick. Teams shied away from picking players who could be in the England squad for the Ashes and neither Jofra Archer or James Anderson were picked up.
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
Welshpool Livestock Market could 'lose 35 percent of stock'
An auctioneer at Welshpool Livestock Market says it could lose 35 percent of its trade if new Bluetongue rules from the Welsh Government come into force. Jonathan Evans warned there could be a severe reduction of stock at Welshpool Livestock sales, which is one of the largest markets in the UK. Restrictions set to come into place in England on July 1 are not being replicated in Wales, meaning a ban on sheep and cattle being moved into Wales unless they have been tested for the bluetongue virus. This would be expensive as testing each animal can be £40-£70 and can mean moving a flock of sheep would cost thousands. 'We sell 30-35 per cent English it is obviously going to have a huge effect on our turnover and profit,' said Mr Evans. 'It doesn't matter if they are vaccinated, the Welsh Government won't let them in. 'Yet they say they want farmers to vaccinate the stock but at the same time they won't accept them into Wales so they are contradicting themselves.' Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app Mr Evans said the situation would be 'unviable' and it would severely limit the pool of breeding animals for local farmers 'The Welsh Farmer has a way, way smaller pool to buy their breeding stock from. They can only but their breeding stock from Wales,' said Mr Evans. 'The breeding rams, the majority of these come from England. Unless they are tested – which they are unlikely to be – they have got a much, much smaller pool to buy from. 'It will either be a lot more expensive or they will end up not having what they want.'
