SWATHES of Conwy would be submerged in sea water if sea levels continue to rise until 2050, according to new research.

Llandudno Junction railway station, parts of Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy Caernarvonshire Golf Club and areas along the River Conwy could fall below sea level and be at risk of flooding.

The coastal flood map compiled by science organisation Climate Central are based on peer-reviewed science in leading journals and global-scale datasets for coastal elevation, sea levels and tides to conclude the likelihood of coastal flooding.

Areas lower than the selected water level and with an unobstructed path to the ocean are shaded red.

The map incorporates big datasets, which always include a margin of error but can be used as screening tools to identify places that require deeper investigation of flood risk.

Oceanographers from Bangor University warned last month that rising sea levels could flood the A55, wash away railways, swamp holiday resorts and threaten businesses along the coast by the end of the century.

Dr Mattias Green, from Glan Conwy, said: “Both those major infrastructure links are very close to the coast and already flood due to heavy rain and will be at risk as sea levels rise. A combination of heavy rain and a storm surge from the sea and we’ll be in trouble.

“We have already seen the Conwy Valley railway line, which runs four or five trains a day, closed several times in recent years and the track has been washed away by flooding.

“Add in a rise in sea level and it will be worse so it is inevitable that flood defences will have to be put in place at very high cost.

“In the UK we can probably afford that but elsewhere in the world, India, Bangladesh and the Maldives, for example, many low-lying countries simply can’t afford those kinds of defences.”

Janet Finch-Saunders, MS for Aberconwy and shadow minister for climate change, is campaigning for the Welsh Government to carry out an independent inquiry into significant flooding events.

Mrs Finch-Saunders has also called for a national flood agency to co-ordinate flood risk management and the response to flooding events, with a permanent fund available for the initial clean-up stages.

"The climate and nature emergencies are among the greatest challenges of our time, so I am clear that Wales must take action today to drive down emissions and meet our targets," she said.