Residents and visitors to Ventnor’s seafront may have noticed quite a bit of activity in Ventnor Harbour this week.
Heavy plant vehicles have been digging out the sand from the bed of the haven and transporting it away in lorries.
Haven contract
In 2023 Ventnor Haven Management Limited (VHML), won the contract to manage the haven. At the time, Ed Blake, local fisherman and one of the Directors of VHML told OnTheWight that the design of the haven was something that you’d more normally see for an inland waterway, and that because it was positioned where it was, made it perfectly designed to trap seaweed and silt.
We got in touch with Ed Blake this week – who is also Isle of Wight councillor for Ventnor and St Lawrence and leader of the Isle of Wight Conservative group of councillors – to find out where the removed sand was heading and how much longer the activity would go on for.
Around 2,000 tonnes of sand
So far around 200 tonnes of sand has been shifted, however, it’s expected that around 2,000 tonnes will be moved in total. The team expect work to carry on until Saturday at the latest.
Ed told OnTheWight,
“The excavated sand has been going to a variety of places. On Tuesday evening it was taken to Bonchurch beach to replenish the lost material there and help protect the cliffs from further erosion.
“The rest has gone to private land where it usually costs a fortune to buy in.”
The team are separating the seaweed from the sand, but Ed commented that as the pump works so well, there is next to no seaweed in the haven.
Ed also explained that although the sand that’s being removed is quite dark, in a few days it will be golden, once dried.
So if you were wondering what was going on, there’s your answer.
Article edit
2nd Apr 2025 – 10,000 corrected to 2,000
