Concerned town councillors are to write a 'strongly worded' objection to the dumping of dredged material in the sea off Dawlish and Teignmouth.

A licence has already been granted for silt to be dredged from Exmouth Marina basin and deposited in Lyme Bay, around 7.7km off the coast.

But at Dawlish Town Council's meeting on October 7, members voted unanimously to write to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) objecting to its granting of the licence.

They are concerned about the effects of the dredging and disposal activities on wildlife and marine ecology, bathing water quality, local beaches and the tourist trade.

Teignmouth Town Council has already objected to the granting of the licence, and the mayor of Dawlish, Alison Foden, said Dawlish should 'stand tall with Teignmouth in their objection'.

The current licence for dredging and disposal is a variation of a previous licence that was suspended by the MMO as a precaution in February 2018, after black sand washed up on Teignmouth beach.

The revised licence involves a lower volume of disposed material and also moves the disposal site from Sprey Point to a different location, further offshore.

The MMO's decision document states that the current disposal site has not been used for 10 years and there are no historical records on its use or closure.

The document says a consultation was carried out in February and March 2020 on the variation, and 'a full assessment into the environmental and socioeconomic impacts has been conducted'.