Aberystwyth prom shelter damaged in storms is to be moved

The shelter has sunk into a hole after its foundations were swept away

A Grade II-listed seafront shelter which was badly damaged during storms a week ago is to be removed and repaired.

The Bath Rock building on Aberystwyth promenade partly fell into a hole after its foundations were washed away as massive waves pounded the sea front.

Work is due to begin on Friday but it is not known how long it will take, or how much it will cost.

The Bath Rock shelter was built in around 1923/24 and the earliest photograph is on a book from 1925.

Cadw, the body which look after Wales' historic monuments for the Welsh government, had told the council that it wants the shelter to be repaired and replaced in its current position.

It has been a week since the first storm surge wrecked the promenade in Aberystwyth - it was then followed by days of high tides which continued the onslaught leaving wide-spread damage along the Welsh coast.

The Natural Resources Minister Alun Davies has already said there will be no "blank cheques" to help rebuild the seafront in Aberystwyth.

But he said emergency funding was available and he told Ceredigion council earlier this week to apply to ensure the promenade was fixed by Easter.

Christopher Davies has lived in Aberystwyth all his life and works at the town's Ceredigion Museum.

He told BBC Radio Wales that the storm has caused the shelter to become a bit of an icon.

"I went there on Sunday to see what the damage was and there were many people posing for photos near the hole in the sea wall which led to the shelter's foundations being washed away.

"There used to be a bathhouse on the site and you can see the foundations of that earlier building."

Mr Davies said the devastation could be viewed in two ways.

"We can look at it in a positive light and the structure of the prom might have to be reviewed," he added.