Llanbedr sea wall breach repairs 'leaking,' say farmers

A sea defence that was repaired using a helicopter is letting in water just months after it was fixed, claim farmers whose land is affected.

About 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land at Llanbedr, Gwynedd, flooded twice daily after a 50m (160ft) breach was punched in the barrier in January.

A helicopter was used to carry 15,000 tonnes of material to fill the gap.

Natural Resources Wales said it knows water is collecting, but it does not expect an increased risk of flooding.

One-tonne bags were dropped by helicopter to plug the breach in the barrier, which was opened up by January's storms.

The process took three months and cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

But farmers whose land was deluged last time claim water has already started to leak through.

John Edward Tomos said: "In recent weeks we've noticed it's been coming through much faster. And with the high tides coming now, it's getting further inland.

A helicopter was used to bring in bags of stone and clay to plug the breach

"It's not going to get any better. It will only get worse."

Ed Bailey said: "It seems strange to me that Natural Resources Wales don't do something about it now.

"Bearing in mind they are spending taxpayers's money, if they let it go again there will have to be twice as much spent. So it's time they did something about it."

Tim Jones, of Natural Resources Wales, said the organisation was aware of potential weaknesses at the site.

He added: "We have dealt with the ones we've found and we do inspect it regularly, so people can be assured that we're doing everything we possibly can to keep their properties and their lives safe."