EMERGENCY sandbagging will begin from 7am on Saturday in Stockton's Barrie Crescent Reserve, City of Newcastle council has confirmed.
The council said on Friday it would take the action due to ongoing erosion risks and large swells forecast for early next week.
"While sandbagging may be enough to protect the coastline from these immediate swell impacts, it is not a long-term solution to protecting Stockton's coastline, " City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath said on Friday.
"We are requesting the State Government consider the serious nature of Stockton's erosion issues and we'll continue to progress those conversations as long as necessary until a solution or intervention is enacted."
Contractors will begin works, which are expected to temporarily close the end of Stone Street and Barrie Crescent until they are completed later in the day.
Council crews will also monitor the site over the next few days.
City of Newcastle said residents were being notified on Friday afternoon that a crane would be on site to unload sandbags weighing upwards of a tonne.
Mr Bath said the forecast had prompted the urgent works.
"The city's coastal engineering consultants advised us that recent erosion events have created extensive unstable foreshore frontage areas along the Barrie Crescent Reserve at Stockton," he said.
"The beach has simply not had time to recover from last week's large swells. The forecast for more large swell activity means we need to ensure the shoreline is as stable as possible to prevent further damage.
"Sandbagging will enable us to temporarily stabilise the foreshore ahead of the predicted large swells due to peak on Monday night.
"We know from experience that these sudden swell events, which usually last 24-48 hours, are some of the most harmful in terms of their erosion impacts."
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