SCIENTISTS have revealed the ground-breaking techniques used to map the west Dorset coastline in order to carry out multi-million-pound sea defence works.

A team at the Plymouth Coastal Observatory, produced images of what Church Cliff in Lyme Regis looks like through the eyes of their high-tech equipment.

The latest phase of sea defence has cost £19.5m and will protect the town from the elements for the next 100 years.

The new images will also help determine if there are any future movements in the cliffs.

Scientist Emerald Siggery, from the Plymouth Coastal Observatory, said: "We closely monitor other parts of the coastline for West Dorset District Council, so we know that part of the world well - although our work regularly takes us from Portland Bill and all the way round the South West peninsula to Gloucestershire.

"We were asked to produce the data so that engineers have baseline measurements to refer back to in the event of any future movement in the cliffs, which have a history of landslides.

"These pictures are representations of the data we have gathered using a laser scanner. The data is now being stored so that should there be any movement in the cliffs, we can go back and complete another survey to give a highly accurate comparison."

Other images from regular aerial surveys conducted by the Plymouth Coastal Observatory show how the cliffs have changes since 2007, following a major landslip in 2008 when around 400 metres fell onto the beach.

The aerial surveys are conducted using LiDAR, which is similar to radar but uses light instead of radio waves.

The ground-based scanning work at Lyme Regis was specially commissioned as part of a land stabilisation and coastal protection programme to defend homes, roads and infrastructure against the effects of coastal erosion.

Last week, the new sea defences were officially opened, with a walkway created for visitors to enjoy views of the Jurassic Coast.

A large part of the work took place within the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site as well as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.

Defra funded £14.6m towards the scheme, along with £600,000 from West Dorset District Council and £4.27m from Dorset County Council.