A chunk of sea wall designed to protect residents for a century has broken away – just 15 years after being built.

After high tides repeatedly pounded part of Romney Marsh’s £60m flood defence, a section of steps in Dymchurch has been destroyed.

But the damage should pose residents no cause for concern, according to the Environment Agency, which has encouraged people to sign up for flood alerts.

Resident Jackie Sparkes Pouncett says she walks along the seafront each morning and often witnesses “lumps of concrete torn away” and workers carrying out repairs.

“Almost every morning I am seeing lumps of concrete torn away from the seawall,” she said.

“I should imagine that it is well documented by now as I have seen loads of repairs being done – although not done very well.

“It is getting very frequent over the months now and it makes you wonder if it will stand up to the hundred-year life it was given.”

Work started on the huge project in Dymchurch in 2008 and was completed in two phases designed to protect thousands of homes.

The scheme, which took around three years to complete, was one of the largest of its kind in the southeast, and residents were told it would last a century.

But now, pictures have emerged of cracks and loose chunks coming away from part of the steps, just 15 years after works began.

An Environment Agency statement issued at the time of construction said: “The land and properties behind the defences are below sea level and the improvements not only improve the standard of protection people receive now, but also take into account sea level rise to maintain the standard of protection for the next 100 years.

“The new defences provide a 1-in-200 year level of protection to 10,000 people, 2,400 homes, local businesses, three-holiday parks, 7,672 ha of agricultural land, 113 ha of designated habitat and the A259 trunk road.”

A spokesman for the Environment Agency, which is in charge of the defence, has confirmed the wall has been damaged after being hit by “large beach material” – rocks for example.

“Part of the Dymchurch sea wall has been damaged from large beach material mixed in with the waves during high tides,” they said.

“We continue to monitor the state of the wall.

“Our assessment show that this damage does not affect the wall’s ability to directly protect the properties of Dymchurch as well as the wider Romney Marsh from coastal flooding, we plan to make repairs during the summer of 2024.

“We encourage residents to sign up for free flood warnings on Gov.UK or call our Floodline number 0345 988 1188.”