Beaches beyond the defences (downdrift) are starved of beach material due to it being trapped behind the terminal (last) groyne.

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Hard engineering involves building artificial structures which try to control natural processes.

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Gabions are coastal defences that consist of rocks and boulders encased in a wired mesh. They absorb the energy from waves.

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Cheap and efficient at reducing energy in waves approaching the coast.

Find out more about hard engineering at the coast.

Groynes trap material being transported by longshore drift. This builds up a wide beach which helps absorb energy from waves, reducing the rate of cliff erosion.

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