The Welsh Minister for the Environment has been urged to visit one of the county's depleted flood defences to access the damage before lives are lost.

Clwyd West AM Darren Millar said Old Colwyn's flood defences were "in desperate need of an upgrade" and last week invited Environment Minister Hannah Blythyn to inspect the damage.

He said: “One of the areas that has received significant investment in recent years, of course, is the Bay of Colwyn. But there is one part that is particularly vulnerable to flooding, and experienced flooding very recently in Storm Eleanor, which hit North Wales just a few weeks ago; the Old Colwyn promenade.

“This is a regular occurrence now, and I'm very concerned at the vulnerability of the defences in that area which protect the A55 and the North Wales railway line. We need some leadership on this, and I believe that that leadership needs to come from the Welsh Government.

Conwy County Borough Councillor Brian Cossey, from Colwyn ward, said he and fellow councillor Cheryl Carlisle had been pushing for work to be done on the Old Colwyn flood defences - which run from Rotary Way away from Colwyn Bay - for many years now.

Cllr Cossey said: "Our engineers have been working with the Welsh Government for a number of years so if Mr Millar can help move the process along that's great.

"A lot of people say the Old Colwyn end should have been done first.

"If anything should happen, there is the Welsh Water main sewerage pipe, the Railway line then the A55; so if something devastating happens it could have major consequences."

He said proposed plans would see the promenade, past Rotary Way, made wider and higher to protect it from the ocean. The Old Colwyn promenade has already been forced to close a number of times recently because of bad storms and Mr Cossey said these new plans would prevent that.

He said: "Occasionally with high tides the water goes underneath the existing defences so the promenade has to be shut because the damage can be larger than expected because its not just on the surface."

Mr Millar said the Minister for Environment, Ms Blythyn has accepted his invitation to visit the flood defences, however when the Pioneer contacted her office a spokesperson said a date was yet to be set.

He added: “I am very pleased that the Minister has agreed to visit the flood defences. Each time we experience extreme weather conditions people are living in fear and understandably so.

"Lives could so easily be lost unless work is undertaken to strengthen the flood defences. Hopefully the Minister’s visit will lead to some positive action being taken in 2018.”

has invited the Welsh Government Minister for the Environment to visit Old Colwyn’s flood defences which are in .

Darren, who has long been calling on the Welsh Government to take action to improve the sea defences before a serious incident occurs, raised the matter again in the Senedd yesterday.