A “large portion” of cliffside has been saved following a £2 million stabilisation project.

The cliff in Greenhithe, near Dartford, posed potential safety risks after weather conditions have led to significant collapses.

Erosion of the chalk cliffs above Eagles Road in Greenhithe were first reported in Christmas 2019.

The 2.62 hectare cliffside was originally formed through quarrying, and is near Greenhithe railway station, by London Road and Worcester Park housing estate.

It is less than two miles from the site of a cliff collapse in Galley Hill Road. Part of the A226 has been closed since a suspected burst water pipe caused the collapse of part of the road and pavement on Easter bank holiday weekend.

Dartford council appointed Billericay-based property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood to investigate the stabilisation options for the Eagles Road site.

Ingleton Wood provides services including architecture, building surveying and quantity surveying.

They worked alongside Clifford Devlin, the main contractor, RSK the specialist civil engineers and CAN the specialist engineering contractor.

Ecological surveys and briefings were carried out throughout the project to make sure nesting birds and bats were not affected by the work.

Mark Reeves, senior associate quantity surveyor at Ingleton Wood said: “We have carried out other similar stabilisation projects in Dartford in recent years with successful results and were pleased to be reappointed to carry out such essential work.

“The cliff had displayed signs of erosion over the years, exacerbated by recent extreme weather, resulting in a higher risk to the safety of the Worcester Park residents and the wider community.

“We worked very closely with Dartford Borough Council and other project partners to deliver this sensitive project on time and to budget while completing a comprehensive review to ensure the safety of the site for years to come.”

A spokesperson for Dartford council said: “The expertise that Ingleton Wood and our contractor, Clifford Devlin brought to the project was invaluable. Without this knowledge the project would not have been as successful as it was.”