English Channel braced for 'tide of the century'

Thousands of people gathered at Mont Saint-Michel in northern France on Saturday to watch what is being called "the high tide of the century".

The exceptionally high spring tide, swollen by a "supermoon" effect linked to the solar eclipse on Friday, was predicted to cut off the picturesque island from the mainland with a wall of water as high as a four-storey building.

Friday’s tidal surge was not as high as the 46 feet predicted, and a tiny sliver of causeway no more than a few metres wide resisted the surge of water pushed by the moon's huge gravitational pull on the sea.

However, Saturday's tide on the long, sloping estuary of the River Couesnon could yet go higher, although scientists said low air pressure may have lessened the phenomenon.

As the surge began to make its way along the coast and tidal estuaries surfers took to the water in Pontaubault and waves crashed onto seawalls.

Police had difficulty holding back the 10,000-strong crowd eager to get pictures of the scene in the final minutes before the surge on Friday evening, with the tourist hotspot lit up as night fell with 60 spotlights for the occasion.

Mont Saint-Michel, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, is situated one kilometre off the coast of Normandy. The rocky outcrop is home to the famous Norman Benedictine Abbey of St-Michel.

Michael Dodds, the director of the regional tourism committee, said: "This natural phenomenon is an incredible opportunity for tourism in Brittany at this time of year."

The bay on the coast of Normandy has some of the strongest tides in the world.

Eleven departements along the coast of northern France are on alert for fear of flooding and residents have been told to stay away from beaches and coastal areas .

Similar surges are predicted along the coast of Britain and the Netherlands over the weekend.

The last ‘tide of the century’ was on March 10, 1997 and the next will be on March 3, 2033, making the description something of a misnomer.

The predictions are based on the tide coefficients used by scientists to forecast wave size. With 120 being the highest, they project a 119 on Saturday. On February 21 it reached 117.

Until 1879 Mont Saint-Michel was cut off from the mainland during each high tide. That year a permanent causeway was built to prevent the tide from scouring the silt around the island.

The coastal flats were reclaimed for pastureland, reducing the distance between the shore and the island. The effect was to encourage the silting-up of the bay.

In 2009 work began on building a hydraulic dam using the waters of the river Couesnon and the tides to help remove the accumulated silt, and make Mont Saint-Michel an island again.

Last year a new 2,500ft bridge was opened to the public. The bridge allows the waters to flow freely below and around the island at high tide.