AN INVESTIGATION is underway into how concrete drainage pipes jutting out of the cliff face at Compton could be safely removed.

Island Roads said it was looking at ways the pipework — the remnants of a drainage system installed in the 1980s — could be removed.

It follows concerns raised in the County Press last week that someone could be killed if the pipes were to fall onto the beach.

An Island Roads spokesman said recent erosion and ground movement had exposed the pipes.

He said: "As a gesture of goodwill, Island Roads is to look at ways this pipework could be removed.

"However, it should be remembered this is a complex process as the environmental protections covering the shore and the cliff face make it extremely difficult for plant and machinery to be used and consents to do so may well be required."