Stemming the tide in Normandy

Coastal erosion has become a serious problem for many seaside communities, no more so than in Normandy, in north-west France, where rising sea levels, strong tides and stronger storms have swept away homes, sand dunes and beaches.

Every year the sea here is reclaiming several metres of coastline. But there are arguments over what to do about it.

In the area around Coutainville beachfront homeowners, oyster producers and campsites are confronting local and national authority plans for some of them to move and to allow nature to take its course. Some locals, suspicious of outside influence, argue this is a conspiracy by environmentalists to get rid of them. And yet others say the growing impact of climate change on coastal erosion is there for all to see.

Carolyn Lamboley speaks to those on both sides of the debate about what can be done to stem the tide.

Producer: John Murphy
Studio mix: Neil Churchill
Production coordinator: Katie Morrison
Series Editor: Penny Murphy

Photo: BBC/John Murphy