Fatal floods in Whitstable are a "never-say-never" possibility due to rising sea levels, fears a town councillor.

Cllr Neil Baker says the effects of climate change could see defences breached and lives put at risk.

He said: “Once those sea levels start rising, who knows what the future holds.

“Coastal areas are at risk - Whitstable has flooded badly in the past.

“If something did happen and flood defences fail, lives could be at risk.”

At last month’s special city council meeting, during which the authority declared a climate emergency, Green Party member Henry Stanton warned Whitstable will be "swamped all the way up to the train station" come the end of the century.

He spoke as figures show Greenland lost a remarkable 180 billion tonnes of ice in July due to rising temperatures.

Experts believe the melting ice caps will lead to a two-metre sea level rise across the globe by 2100.

The last time Whitstable was hit by huge sea floods was in January 1953, when a storm surge brought 20ft waves down the eastern coast.

No lives were lost in Kent, but 307 people died across the country and the sea wall at Seasalter was breached.

Despite his fears, Cllr Baker believes the town will be well-prepared for the increasing water height, and is not in need of a huge sea wall in order to block out the threat.

He said: “It’s the little and often approach which is favoured by gradually increasing defences.

“As climate change escalates, we’re going to have more extreme weather in more regular spurts - it could be catastrophic.

"What’s fortunate is that we’re a heck of a lot more protected than we were in 1953 - but you can never say never."

Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies says there are "substantial and very well-maintained coastal defences along Whitstable's entire frontage", with funding secured to bolster protection between Swalecliffe and Hampton and at Swalecliffe Brook.

He added: “In 2006, major improvement work was completed to these defences to ensure that the town can withstand the sort of floods expected every 200 years.

"This involved the construction of 49 new timber groynes and the importation of 150,000 tonnes of shingle.

"Further improvement work was carried out in 2016 when a section of the south quay at Whitstable Harbour was renewed.

"In terms of the general approach, the Shoreline Management Plan policy for Whitstable for the 100-year period is to 'hold the line', which means sea defences are maintained and upgraded or replaced in their current position where funding permits."

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