Gower fire: Anger at lack of water after wedding venue destroyed

A crack in the water main meant crews ran out of water to tackle the fire at the Ocean View on the Gower

A fire which destroyed a wedding venue because fire crews could not get enough water from the mains has sparked calls for pipes to be upgraded.

Crews tried to tackle the blaze at Ocean View in Llanrhidian, on the Gower peninsula near Swansea, but a mains crack meant they had no water.

A councillor has warned there is a risk of a repeat of June's hotel fire unless something is done on the Gower.

Welsh Water said it has no concerns about water capacity for firefighting.

Lynne and Vivian Pearce, who own the venue, said 12 years of work had been destroyed.

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They praised the fire crews who they said did their best best but once their on-board water ran out they found the mains supply was giving no water due to the pipe break.

Driven by the wind

Lynne, a former firefighter, said pipe breaks happen frequently because of the old pipe systems on Gower.

"The firemen even tried to scoop and kick water off the ground," she said. "But it was some time before the water bowser arrived from Tumble [23 miles, or 37 km away] and by then the fire had spread through the whole building - driven by the wind.

The scene inside Ocean View after the fire

"If we had a proper water supply we would still have a fire but nowhere near what we have now. Now we have a full loss."

Gower councillor Richard Lewis said the fire showed the ongoing danger to many homes and businesses in the area, due to an "archaic low pressure system".

He understands improving the system would take years but believes a water bowser - a giant mobile tank of water - should be based in the area.

He has already met Welsh Water and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, but said he was not satisfied by responses which did nothing to improve matters.

"I know of at least one other major fire recently where the lack of water meant a smaller fire could not be contained and a large fire caused major damage," he said.

'Very angry'

"If they are not going to renew the water system - and that is going to take 20 years if they ever do it - the fire service could bring a water bowser to the Reynoldston fire station.

"The whole of Gower is affected. There are 3,000 houses in Gower and any one of those, including my own, could burn down at any time. I am very angry."

A fire service spokesman said "dealing with fires in rural areas can mean sufficient mains water supplies are not always easily accessible".

Welsh Water said it had met the fire service following the concerns raised locally.

But a spokesman added: "We can confirm there are no concerns relating to water capacity for firefighting purposes in this area.

"We work very closely with fire services across our operational area to ensure we can support all firefighting activities."