COUNCIL bosses are to bid for Government cash to help prevent landslips near a coastal road in North Yorkshire.

The slope, above a one-kilometre stretch of the A174 between Whitby and Sandsend, has a history of erosion.

North Yorkshire County Council has spent £100,000 on prevention measures in the last three years, but now it says a major improvement scheme is urgently needed.

A report which will go before the authority’s executive next week said the programme – estimated to cost £9.3 million – is eligible for DEFRA funding as it constitutes “coastal defence” and £4.8 million could be secured.

Councillors will be asked to agree to an application being submitted to the Environment Agency, which will then pass it on to DEFRA for consideration.