Town’s flood-hit businesses call for faster action

A TOWN has been described as “flooded and forgotten,” with a business that lost £20,000 worth of stock hitting out over “months of inactivity.”

On November 22, parts of Llangefni were submerged under several feet of water after the river Cefni burst its banks.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Anglesey Council pledged to work together to stop similar incidents from recurring. But over two months on, one business owner says it’s “only a matter of time” until such incidents are repeated, blaming a lack of action by those responsible.

NRW has arranged a Llangefni drop-in event on February 12, giving residents and business owners the chance to give feedback and find out more about their plans.

But Neil Bevan, who runs Bevans Caravan and Camping Supplies, says his business has cumulative losses of £22,000 following the floods, and cannot get contents insurance until the situation is resolved.

“This latest flood has basically left us with nothing in the bank, every penny we’d saved and worked for has now been lost,” he said. “This can’t keep going on and being ignored.”

According to Mr Bevan, who took over eight years ago, he now fears flooding every time it rains, raising concerns over a defensive wall that was washed away due to the sheer force of the flood water.

The island’s AM Rhun ap Iorwerth has welcomed a delegation of affected business owners.

He said: “Business owners and residents in Llangefni need to know everything possible is being done as quickly as possible, to avoid similar scenes.

“I fear that November’s floods could have been avoided if preventative action had taken place beforehand - I know, for example, Anglesey Council asked NRW to prioritise the area following flooding a few years ago. We can’t afford further delays. ”

An NRW spokesperson said: “NRW is investigating the flooding caused by the Afon Cefni. The results will contribute to the report to be published by Anglesey Council. Based on this, we will plan the next steps including modelling the river and its surroundings and looking at possible options to reduce the risk.”

Keith Ivens, NRW’s Flood Risk Manager, added: “We empathise with the people who were affected by flooding two months ago.

“Our teams have been collecting information and the drop-in sessions are an opportunity for us to make sure we’ve captured everyone’s experiences and information. We will need to look in detail at a wide range of things such as flood warnings, storing water upstream alongside more traditional options such as hard defences.

“In the short-term, we’ve carried out work on the Cefni to help water flow away more quickly. While we can’t prevent all flooding we will explore all the options to reduce the risks.”

The drop-in sessions are in Plas Arthur, Llangefni on 12 February (3pm - 7pm) and Ysgol Dwyran (5pm – 7pm) on 19 February.