Tonnes of sand pumped onto Colwyn Bay beach

The sand has been pumped onto the beach over the past couple of weeks

Half a million tonnes of sand has been pumped onto a Conwy county beach to improve sea defences and tourism.

The sand has been dredged by boat from a sandbank 20 miles (32km) out to sea, then pumped onto Colwyn Bay beach through a pipeline.

The work, which cost around £6m, has been taking place for the past couple of weeks.

Engineers say the beach once had more sand but it has been washed away over the past few decades.

Councillor Mike Priestley, Conwy council's cabinet member for highways, environment and sustainability, has said the work would protect the promenade, railway and A55 from flooding and boost the local economy.

The sand helps the sea defences by reducing the impact of the fierce waves which regularly batter the promenade, particularly during the winter months.

The work is part of a bigger project which has included a new sea defence structure further along the seafront to stop the sand being washed away in future.

There are also plans to pump more sand onto the beach in future.