With every passing storm the Old Colwyn flood defences gets closer to “catastrophic failure” and Clwyd West’s AM has called for a meeting of leaders be held to fix the problem.

Railway embankments were washed away last year and the Pioneer reported water seeping through the pavement after Storm Gareth last week.

North Wales Pioneer:

Water spurting out of the pavement after Storm Gareth

Darren Millar, Clwyd West AM, has said the sea defences are in a “desperate state” and “urgent” action needs to be taken.

Mr Millar said: “The promenade and sea defences at Old Colwyn are in a desperate state and we now need urgent action and leadership from the Welsh Government in order to break the impasse so that a plan can be developed by stakeholders to bring them up to standard before a catastrophic incident occurs.

“The sea defences in Old Colwyn protect critical transport and drainage infrastructure, if these fail there could be serious consequences for our economy and lives could be lost.

“I urge Welsh Ministers to move quickly to bring stakeholders together and release the investment required.”

Mr Millar has repeatedly called for action to improve the defences, but is concerned the situation has reached an impasse.

North Wales Pioneer:

The Old Colwyn promenade. Picture: Patrick Glover

During a statement on ‘flood and coastal erosion risk management’ in the Senedd last week, he urged the Welsh Government to organise a summit to break the stalemate.

He said: “I’ve listened very carefully to what you’ve said about the need for other partners to come to the table in order to address the concerns around the Old Colwyn area.

“Yet the reality is that, because of this current impasse, the likelihood of anything being delivered there anytime soon is pretty dim, and pretty low.

“I do think it is going to take the sort of leadership that you’ve been able to provide elsewhere in Wales in order to knock heads together and get the right people and decision makers around the table in order to make things happen.

“I wonder whether the Welsh Government could call a summit of decision makers, of Welsh Water, Network Rail, Conwy County Borough Council and anybody else with an interest in that particular part of the coast in order that we can try to get a timetable together and get the investment on the table that needs to take place in order for that work to be done.

“Because I can’t stress this enough: I’ve seen parts of the railway embankment washed away in storms in recent years. They’ve been repaired, yes, but they’re patch repairs and unfortunately, at some point, there will be a catastrophic failure.”