A £1m scheme to stabilise cliffs on the edge of a coastal town has been delayed because of staffing issues, a report has said.

North Hill in Minehead, Somerset, has been prone to rock falls and land slips in the past few decades as a result of erosion.

The hill is owned by Somerset Council but a report to the local authority's audit committee said the project had been delayed because of staff "recruitment challenges".

Somerset Council said it was trying to "recruit a new principal flood and coastal engineer" and drone inspections were being carried out to give "a clear picture of current risk".

North Hill runs from Minehead to the village of Porlock and contains the initial stretch of the South West Coast Path.

Somerset West and Taunton Council announced in 2023 that up to £1m would be set aside to design and deliver a scheme which could stabilise the cliffs for the next five decades.

The hill was transferred to Somerset Council in April 2023.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the funding was signed off by the council in March as part of its annual budget setting.

However, a report has found several issues are holding the scheme back, including "resource constraints due to recruitment challenges", "poor governance" and a "loss of knowledge" as a result of staff changes.

A spokesperson for Somerset Council said: "Drones have been commissioned to provide aerial inspections of our assets to give us a clear picture of current risk and the immediate works needed.

"Recruitment is currently under way to try and recruit a new principal flood and coastal engineer and a separate flood and coastal engineer to support the broader technical guidance and asset management for the service."

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