'Failures hampered Conwy Valley flooding response'

Failures executing plans hampered efforts to prevent flooding in a Conwy Valley town, a report has found.

Heavy downpours on the day after Christmas saw widespread flooding across north Wales.

But officials at Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said shortcomings in Llanrwst saw properties on one street hit.

However, £7m flood defences did protect the majority of homes, NRW said.

"This detailed report is the result of a comprehensive review into what happened," said Tim Jones, head of NRW operations in mid and north Wales.

"We cannot prevent all flooding but we can reduce the likelihood of it happening and that is what we must now do."

Conwy Terrace in Llanrwst was hit by the worst of the flooding after mistakes meant there was a delay in deploying a mobile flood barrier.

The investigation found an early alarm warning of rising river levels was missed, there were problems getting staff to the area because of flooding elsewhere and a lack of holiday cover and there were also difficulties reaching highways bodies to officially close the road.

Conwy's cabinet member for the environment and roads, Dave Cowans, welcomed the review and said its 18 recommendations could help "prepare for the future and support local community resilience".