Cefn Sidan sand dune cliff collapse warning after storms

Beach walkers have been warned to avoid sand dune "cliffs" created by recent storms on the Carmarthenshire coast due to the risk of collapse.

Sheer cliff faces up to 35ft (10m) high have been scoured along eight miles (13 km) of dunes on Cefn Sidan beach.

Manager Rory Dickinson said: "The beach is perfectly safe but we have put up signs asking people not to dig in the dunes because of the risk of collapse."

The storms in January also exposed three shipwrecks on Cefn Sidan.

Mr Dickinson said the wind had also sheared millions of tonnes of sand off the beach's dunes, part of the Millennium Coastal Path.

He said: "Rangers have had to approach families warning them against digging in the dune faces and walking along the cliffed edge of the dunes.

"The dunes will erode to gentler slopes and we are mechanically creating slopes for boardwalk access to the beach where walkers have been left high and dry above the beach levels."

Carmarthenshire council said sand from Cefn Sidan had been blown up the estuary to Llanelli where 8ft (2.5m) sand dune drifts blocked the North Dock car park at the Discovery Centre on Sunday morning.

Park rangers used mechanical diggers to clear the area.

Coastal areas of Wales battered by high winds and heavy rain in recent weeks have been warned to prepare for further disruption over the next few days.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for winds across south and west Wales on Tuesday, with gusts of up to 80mph.