Work has started on a coastal project which will help authorities understand the threats posed from the sea and what can be done to protect against it.

Dorset Council says the work underway at Chesil Cove on Portland is part of a larger monitoring study with Channel Coast Observatory working jointly with Southern Coastal Group.

The study looks into coastal protection in Weymouth and Portland and will allow the council to build a detailed ground model of the current coastal slope.

This will feed into a longer coastal management strategy for this sensitive area of coastline.

This phase of the investigation will take about three weeks and will see eight boreholes drilled along the cove.

To keep disruption to a minimum, drilling will take place between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, and public access such as cycle and pedestrian walkways will be remain open.