THE first stage of the ambitious Crag Walk project at Walton’s Naze has been completed, despite freezing weather conditions.

More than 20,000 tonnes of rock have been shipped to the foot of the cliffs to help prevent them crumbling away.

Contractors have worked in snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures during the recent cold snap, but say the project is still on schedule.

A barge brought the £750,000 of granite from Norway and a smaller boat has finished ferrying the rocks to the Naze.

Neil Stock, Tendring Council leader, said: “I am aware there has been some delay in the deliveries due to rough seas, but this has not affected the programme.

“The contractors are still very much on target to have the work finished before Easter, which is great news for everyone.”

A 150m walkway will be built along the top of the new sea defences, giving people access to the cliffs and its 55-million-year-old fossils.

The council says any disruption to fishermen should be over.

The £1.2million scheme follows more than 25 years of campaigning by the Naze Protection Society.

Tendring Council is running a competition for the best photo taken at the Crag Walk site during construction.

Contractor J Breheny has donated the £100 first prize and some of the best shots will go up on display at the Naze.

The competition runs until March. Entries must be digital, not bigger than seven megabytes, and should be e-mailed to technical.services@ tendringdc.co.uk.