Suttle Projects was contracted on behalf of Network Rail to provide access to a buried culvert beneath Teignmouth Beach, enabling essential drainage testing and condition surveys of the culvert and associated pipework beneath the railway line. Over time, the active coastal environment had caused significant sand build-up, completely covering the culvert and preventing inspection or its proper function.
The project presented several operational challenges, including working within a restricted tidal window that limited plant access to the beach, navigating a narrow flood gate with heavy machinery, and carrying out excavation in a busy public area between the sea and an operational railway.