Councillors have agreed to try to find alternatives to rare tropical trees when they repair Southend's sea defences.

Committee chairman Peter Wexham said Southend councillors should keep to their environmental charter and not buy tropical hardwoods.

A report to last night's Southend Council committee meeting said greenheart, which is found only in the Guyanan part of the Amazon rainforest, is one of the world's most durable woods and would be ideal for improving groynes in the estuary.

The groynes are vital to control the erosion of the seafront but European woods like oak and pine quickly rot in the salt water.

Mr Wexham, Liberal Democrat councillor for Leigh, said the council should look at all the alternatives before buying in the rare wood, which would mean further destruction of the rainforest.

He said areas such as Liverpool had constructions made out of greenheart that they were now dismantling and he suggested council officers should look into the possibilities of buying the wood from Liverpool and reclaiming it for use in Southend.

Mr Wexham added: "We must try explore all the possibilities there are before coming to a conclusion about what woods we use.

"There is an African wood, Ekki, which is very durable and various Australian woods which are not as rare as greenheart.

"We should try to take trees from forests where they are continually being replanted."

The committee was told greenheart is not an accredited wood and that the Guyanan trees are not being replanted as they are chopped down for world trade.

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