Worthing’s only public slipway left ‘neglected’ and ‘buried under shingle’, says keen sailor

A keen Worthing sailor is calling on the council to clear the town’s only public slipway so that it can be used by boat owners.
Paul Devereux at the slipway in GoringPaul Devereux at the slipway in Goring
Paul Devereux at the slipway in Goring

Paul Devereux, of Wallace Avenue, said the slipway in Goring was ‘neglected and buried under more than one metre of shingle, rendering it quite unusable’.

The grandfather discovered it that way when he took his dinghy there some weeks ago, hoping to enjoy a day out on the water with his family. Instead they had to turn around and go home.

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With his sailing holiday in Greece cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis, he had been looking forward to taking his boat out into the sea – but has not been able to do so.

Paul Devereux at the slipwayPaul Devereux at the slipway
Paul Devereux at the slipway

“It’s a nice slipway, it’s quite broad, but they’ve just failed to maintain it,” he said.

Worthing tries to promote itself as a coastal seaside town with leisure activities for boats. But there’s not one available public slipway in the whole town, which is not really helpful.”

He also pointed out that the slipway was the only direct way for people in wheelchairs who wished to access the water.

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He believes it has been unusable for at least six or eight months, adding: “One would assume they would have cleared it by summer.”

Mr Devereux, who grew up in Worthing and has lived in the town off and on for 50 years, contacted the council about the issue – and was not satisfied when their replies blamed the lack of maintenance on recent storms and the pandemic.

He called them ‘lame excuses’ and said it would only require one person in a bulldozer to shift the shingle.

The slipway has been obscured for months now, to the point where he said: “Some people don’t know its there. It needs to be looked at, not just for me but for everybody.”

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A spokesman for Adur and Worthing Councils said: “During recent years, changes to coastal patterns offshore have resulted in shingle levels rising at the Goring end of the coastline.

The slipway is covered in shingleThe slipway is covered in shingle
The slipway is covered in shingle

“This has seen the flat section of the beach increase by 10 metres southwards making it increasingly difficult to clear and keep shingle off both the Marine Crescent and Sea Place boat ramps.

“We understand the frustration from some boat users and are currently investigating ways to resolve this issue moving forward.”

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