Porthkerry Caravan Park landslip: Owner 'devastated'

The owner of a caravan park where a landslip left 15 caravans teetering on the edge of a cliff says she and her family are devastated.

Sally Layver-Edwards, who runs family-owned Porthkerry Caravan Park near Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, spotted a crack in the ground three weeks ago.

She called in experts but admitted they were all "caught out" at the speed of the slip.

She said she felt "sick to my stomach" after the rockfall.

"We've been in [the business] a long, long time and... to have something like this is heartbreaking, absolutely devastating," she said.

"I just felt sick to my stomach. There were two that were definitely overhanging by a good six to eight feet.

"I'm sure in a week or two when I have five minutes to breathe I'll probably have a weep."

The rockfall happened at about 20:00 GMT on Monday. No-one was injured.

She added: "We've got people who have been here 10-plus years in those caravans on the front, they've brought their children here, their grandchildren here week in, week out throughout the season.

Some of the caravans on the cliff edge at Porthkerry

"The ones who were evacuated earlier save a lot of their possessions and hopefully we'll save all of the vans but you can't replace those memories."

Monitoring

Mrs Layver-Edwards said the Health and Safety Executive and Shoreline Management Wales were satisfied with the steps the owners took before the slip and have taken since.

She said geologists had been monitoring the site since the concerns were first raised and equipment was lost in the slip.

This photo shows the position of the caravans after the landslip on Monday

"We had no idea it was going to go so quick and I don't think the experts did, so we've all been caught out a little bit," she added.

Vale of Glamorgan council said its officers would assess the current site risks and advise landowners of any remedial work needed.

Mrs Layver-Edwards admitted that while finances were not her priority, the slip would have an effect on business.

"We've definitely lost 16 plots in one hit so that will have devalued our park," she said.

"We'll never have sales on those pitches again, we'll never have rents, so there is a concern.

"It's not a massive one right now but it definitely will be when we sit down in a couple of weeks time and we crunch numbers."