Barry lifeguard service in doubt over unsafe building

The building used by the lifeguards is structurally unsafe

A volunteer lifeguard team fears it could be forced to disband because their life-saving equipment was locked up in an unsafe building.

A storage facility used by the Rhondda Cold Knap Lifeguards Club in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, was declared dangerous in April.

Volunteer Paul Edwards told BBC Radio Wales Drive he feared for the future of the club, which formed in 1962.

Vale of Glamorgan council said it was working to provide temporary storage.

The team's base, a decades-old concrete roofed building, was shut after a structural report found it to be unsafe.

It said promises from Vale of Glamorgan council to provide new storage for life-saving kit and a rescue boat have so far come to nothing.

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With just ten weeks of the summer left, the delay means the number of volunteer lifesavers has dwindled.

Mr Edwards, the club's chairman, explained they would normally be on the beach in July training junior lifeguards.

The club uses the summertime to train its next generation of volunteer lifeguards

It is also less able to patrol the beach itself, "looking out for members of the public and making sure they are safe, especially with the big increase in paddle-boarding at the moment," he said.

With no access to equipment, Mr Edwards said the club had gone from 70 volunteers to 20.

"If it goes on much longer, we will miss the whole season," he said. "We will struggle to get members back."

Mr Edwards said part of its building had not been used for two decades and is in a poor condition.

"The roof leaks a lot and some of the concrete is blown," he said.

The club uses half of this building to store gear

After an inspection by a structural engineer in April, the club was told members should not enter the building.

The club said it was promised containers as a replacement, but had not materialised.

Mr Edwards said he did get an email from the council about alternative storage, but explained it would hold only "about a quarter" of the club's equipment.

The club's rescue boat is in limbo

"I've got a rescue boat I can't use," he said, adding that even if he removed it from the unsafe building, the club had nowhere to store it.

"It's really frustrating," he added.

Vale of Glamorgan council said: "The council has assessed the area and is working to provide temporary accommodation and storage for the lifeguards and their equipment.

"In the meantime, the building continues to provide safe and secure storage for the equipment.

"The council recognises the importance of the lifeguard service, and will continue to support and facilitate the service across the Vale."

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