South and west Wales have largely escaped the predicted flooding as high tides hit the coast. Some roads have been flooded in Pembrokeshire and the situation is being assessed as water recedes following the high tides. Coastal towns and villages in north and West Wales will experience high tides later. A total of 49 flood warnings and 15 alerts remain in place. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had warned conditions could be as bad as early January when a storm surge led to sea defences being breached. Amber warnings - meaning be prepared for flooding - were issued for 15 counties around the coast on Saturday. Swansea, Milford Haven, Aberystwyth, Holyhead and Llandudno were expected to see tides between 5m (16ft) and 10m (33ft) during the day. The high tide hit the Pembrokeshire coast just after 07:00 GMT and the council reported some minor flooding on footpaths along the river in Haverfordwest and one cafe in Riverside Arcade was also flooded. A spokesman said water had also coming into the car park at Lower Town Fishguard and Wern Road in nearby Goodwick had also been flooded. Continue reading the main story Charlotte Dubenskij reports from Aberystwyth High tide in Aberystwyth came and went, the impact much softer than that which hit the promenade a month ago. But waves held some force as they hit the seafront. The spray splashed high and the water surged onto the paving stones, many of which were ripped up and thrown back in the New Year storms. Mingled amongst the thin layer of shale thats been chucked from the sea bed are rocks larger than the size of my fist. Its a reminder that while theres no storm right now, these waves still can pack a deadly punch. Natural Resources Wales continues to urge people to stay away from the coast, with debris like this being pummelled by those waves, its not hard to see why staying away is the sensible approach But despite those warnings a handful did turn up this morning to watch - but most remained a safe distance away from the shoreline. The sea front at Gelliswick, Milford Haven is being cleared of storm debris and the road at Newgale should re-open after the water recedes after the high tide. National Rail said flooding meant trains were not running between Llanelli and Pantyffynnon, but replacement buses were in operation. Graham Hillier. from Natural Resources Wales, told BBC Radio Wales the flood warnings pretty much cover the whole of the Wales coastline. So we are just preparing for the high tides as it moves all around the Welsh coast, he said. Repairs carried out to the coastal defences over the last month were holding very well, he added, but they were watching what happened on Saturday very closely because of the potential for overtopping by high waves. People should be prepared and move precious possessions upstairs, Mr Hillier warned. He also urged people to stay away from exposed coasts during high water because of the danger from high waves which could also contain debris, and injure people. In Aberystwyth, repairs to the towns sea wall damaged by last months storms were completed on Friday. Aberystwyth on Friday evening Waves crashed over Aberystwyth seafront on Friday evening but there was no flooding But 600 university students living on the seafront were either rehoused or accepted the offer to travel home or to another part of the UK for the weekend. Ceredigion council has also urged people living in seafront properties in Cardigan, Aberystwyth and Aberaeron to take care. The local authority said sandbags were being delivered on request. The leisure centres in Cardigan and Aberystwyth are open as emergency evacuation support centres if required. The youth centre in Upper Borth is also open. Elsewhere, emergency work to temporarily block a gap in the sea defence in Llanbedr, Gwynedd, has been completed. Since Wednesday, a helicopter has been positioning 500 giant sandbags into the 50m (164ft) wide breach to take the brunt of the tides and to stop the hole from becoming worse. The 15 amber flood warnings for Wales coast on Saturday were part of a three-day flood risk forecast by the Environment Agency, Aberystwyth was one of the towns hardest hit by heavy rain, strong winds, high tides and a sea surge between 3 and 6 January. A Grade II-listed shelter partly fell into a hole after its foundations were washed away as massive waves pounded the promenade. Ceredigion council estimated the cost of repairing the promenade had topped £150,000 and feared the bill would increase if similar storms hit the town this weekend.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 09:39:36 +0000
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