WORK to protect homes and businesses from flooding is set to begin after plans for a controversial seawall were scrapped.

Bore holes will be dug into Shoebury Common Beach to determine what kind of sea defence should be built to safeguard 237 homes and 58 businesses.

Work is needed along the 1,000 yard-long stretch between Ness Road and Bay Gardens because of rising sea levels.

Controversial plans to build a 7ft-high seawall along the common were thrown out following a public outcry.

Six test drills will take place on the promenade and beach during September to ascertain the makeup of the soil below.

The findings will be used to draw up an alternative scheme to strengthen the existing defences- which include a smaller sea wall.

The Friends of Shoebury Common campaign group, which fought the original proposal, have been assured they will have a say in where the bore holes will be dug.

Member Peter Grubb, who owns Uncle Toms Cabin cafe on Shoebury Common, said: “We are promised the friends group would be given the opportunity to discuss where the drill sites would be so that they aren’t in certain areas of the promenade, particularly Uncle Toms.

“The drilling will determine what lies 50-100ft below the surface. We’ll know what’s in the ground like rubbish and shells.”

Mr Grubb added: “If it is decided that the beach should be recharged and the existing seawall fortified that will be ironic as that was what suggested to the council from day one. We would have gone all through this nonsense for nothing.”

Tony Cox, councillor responsible for transport, waste and cleansing, said: “The work being undertaken is designed to determine the structural condition and capability of the existing flood wall, and will involve trial holes in the promenade and beach to allow sampling and testing of the soil below the wall and drilling the existing concrete wall to recover samples for testing its condition.

“We will also be testing existing steel sheet piles at the toe of the wall to determine their residual strength, and carrying out a structural analysis of the wall, using the information derived from the all of the testing mentioned.”

Consultants Mott MacDonald were brought in to look at the original seawall scheme.

In 2014 the Labour, Lib Dem, and Independent administration decided to put the brakes on the previous Tory administration’s £5million plan, which was vastly unpopular.

Despite concerns money acquired for the scheme would be lost, it is still available for any future flood defences decided by the council.