The work has been carried out by Exeter City Council’s waterways team during the first three weeks of the year. The work was necessary because the previous timber piles had become rotten, and in some places, they were missing.
Topsham Quay is looking ship-shape and tidy following the replacement of timber piles on the waterfront.
The work has been carried out by Exeter City Council’s waterways team during the first three weeks of the year.
The work was necessary because the previous timber piles had become rotten, and in some places, they were missing.
The wooden piles are essential at the quay to provide protection for vessels mooring alongside the wall. They also protect the wall from damage caused by ships coming into contact with the stonework.
The work at Topsham was carried out by the council’s waterways team using the moorings maintenance barge Port Constructor, along with a local contractor operating another barge equipped with a crane.
The piles were delivered to Topsham last year after being purchased from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Borough Council for just £200 each. They were originally part of the timber groynes that formed part of the coastal protection scheme in Bournemouth and were installed in the early 1970s.
The council in Bournemouth was replacing them with taller ones to raise the height of the defences, so they offered the old timbers to other councils at a discounted rate.
The hardwood piles were delivered in 10-metre lengths and cut to size on the quay, with the offcuts being used for other purposes, either at the canal or in Exmouth.
Despite being in the sea for over 45 years, the timbers are in remarkable condition and look almost brand new.
Cllr Ruth Williams, Lead Councillor with responsibility for the city’s waterways, said the work carried out at Topsham was not only necessary but also excellent value for money, aligning with the council’s waste ethos of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’: “To buy a new 10-metre length of timber of the required dimensions would have cost around £2,000 each, plus the fitting costs. So, to carry out their replacement—a total of 36, with eight more to be done in the summer—using second-hand piles and fitting them ourselves has saved the council a considerable sum of money.”
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