ONE of the highest tides of the year sent spectacular waves crashing over Teignmouth seafront and damaged part of the promenade at Shaldon.Big seas driven by an easterly gale smashed into the resorts on Wednesday morning and a large chunk of the 50-year-old seawall at the Ness end of Shaldon collapsed.The village is vulnerable to easterlies and a new £8million seawall is being built to protect the community from rising sea levels. The storm showed just why a higher wall is needed.Cllr Chris Clarance, who lives virtually opposite the stricken section, said it was one of the strongest storms of the winter.'The plinth of the old sea wall was battered, mainly because it was undermined by the reduced beach level,' he said.'Hopefully the debris will be cleared away as it could be a safety issue. The new seawall is due to be built in that area in the autumn, so there is little point repairing the damage in the meantime.'The huge seas did not stop the Teignmouth harbour pilots safely guiding a coaster into the harbour at the height of the five metre tide.