OWNERS of a ancient house situated in the Conwy Valley have been left wondering where to turn after their site was devastated yet again by flooding.

Judy Corbett owns Gwydir Castle in Llanrwst with her husband Peter Welford. Flooding over the days has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the house and gardens.

Gardens surrounding the castle were submerged in water and despite efforts by volunteers, to build a wall made of sandbags, the cellars were also left deep in water. The roads to the site were also cut off and the ground flood of Gwydir had to be evacuated over the weekend.

The couple feel they have been let down by Natural Resources Wales and the Welsh Government. They said over the last 20 years, they have repeatedly asked for help to protect the Gwydir Castle, which is described as one of the finest Tudor houses in Wales.

Judy said: "Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Government have refused to help us, even though they have protected so many others in the Conwy Valley and they have made the flooding problem worse for us as a consequence of work they carried out in 2007.

"Volunteers helped us build a sandbag wall. We filled and laid over 15,000 sandbags by hand along 300 metre perimeter of the garden.

"Natural Resources Wales say they are only funding schemes where there is a risk to life - but what about our lives and the thousands of visitors who come to Gwydir each year?

"Gwydir is not only a national Grade One-listed heritage asset, it is also a major tourist attraction in the Conwy Valley. Serious damage is being done to both house and garden.

"The weather was terrible during the storm and the gardens are ruined."

Keith Ivens, Flood & Water Operations Manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: “It is misleading to say that the Conwy valley flood scheme increases flood risk for Gwydir Castle.

“It doesn’t. It reduces the risk and we have shared the data which proves this with the owners of the castle.

“The garden is on the flood plain and has always flooded.

“As we have repeatedly said, we cannot fund further work to protect the castle because flood risk schemes are prioritised by risk-to-life.

“We will continue to target our resources to protect lives, livelihoods and homes, as directed by the Welsh Government.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We recognise the historical significance of Gwydir Castle and its value to the Welsh cultural and physical landscapes. However, analysis by Natural Resources Wales has shown the Conwy Valley Flood Alleviation Scheme has reduced river levels at Gwydir. At present, the risk of flooding is to the castle’s gardens and an uninhabited cellar. This means there are insufficient benefits to justify a flood alleviation scheme at Gwydir Castle.”

“Flood risk management funding is prioritised towards communities where flooding could pose a risk to life.”