THE cost of major sea defence work on the North coast- the biggest scheme of its kind in Europe - is set to soar.

The work at Scarborough, North Yorkshire, has already increased from £25.7m to £33.6m and the council has warned that the final bill could be as much as £47.5m.

The work involves shipping thousands of tons of rock across the North Sea from Norway to build a wall of rock armour and rebuilding the sea wall around the Marine Drive and Royal Albert Drive, which are in danger of collapsing as a result of a hundred years of pounding by heavy seas.

It also includes extensive renovation work on the 250-year-old East Pier, which has been in danger of being breached, threatening the future of the town's 750-year-old harbour.

However the council's group engineer, Neil Corrie, said that while £47.5m has been set aside for the work, it was not expected to reach that figure. The funding is expected to be provided by the Government's Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Mr Corrie said extra expenditure had come about because of additional piling which was found to be necessary on the seabed. There had also been unexpected damage of the Marine Drive by heavy trucks.