Fergus O’Brien and Heulyn Davies from Dwr Cymru Welsh Water came to a meeting of the Llanelli Flood Forum last week, to provide more detail on the Rainscape programme for Llanelli. With surface water running off steep slopes onto a narrow coastal plain, areas of Llanelli pose a real challenge, with excess water liable to cause flooding or overloading of the sewerage system, leading to spills into the Burry Inlet. Mr O’Brien explained that Welsh Water is investing heavily in Llanelli to remove surface water from the system, and reduce the risk of flooding and sewage spills. He then responded to detailed questioning from members of the forum on current schemes and future plans.
Nia Griffith MP, who chairs the flood forum commented,
“It is very heartening to see the investment by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water in these innovative schemes in Llanelli which I very much hope will reduce the risk of flooding and sewerage spills, but it is no good making this investment if the council does not also play its part, by ensuring that it does not exacerbate flood risk through any inappropriate planning decisions.”