4:00pm Tuesday 1st January 2008
A military operation has been underway to clear large quantities of rusty barbed wire which once defended the Pembrokeshire coast during the Second World War.
Freshwater West acted as a coastal defence point and barbed wire and anti-tank bollards were used to keep the enemy at bay.
There were also three minefields, and although records show these were cleared on November 24th 1945, the wire and other metal debris were buried at the Angle end of the beach.
Over the years, the sand covering the debris has gradually eroded and the sharp metal has been exposed, raising concerns about the safety of people using this part of the beach.
All attempts to cordon it off have failed, but thanks to funding from the Welsh Assembly and the Angle Estate, the area has now been cleared.
An excavator was used to remove the debris which was filtered through a large sieve' to separate the metal from the sand.
The operation was overseen by the National Trust and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
Libby Taylor, a senior ranger with the national park, said the area had now been made safe.
"There had been a lot of concern about the large corkscrews of metal that were sticking out of the sand but we had been unable to keep the public away. The only solution was to clear it," she said.
A member of the 33 Engineer (EOD) Regiment was also present to monitor the clearance because of worries that unexploded ordinance, mortar shells or mines could be unearthed.
Steve Gerlach, National Trust warden at Freshwater West, said safety had been paramount during the operation.
He said: "An engineer's report stated that all the mines had been accounted for but other mines could have been washed up, so we had to be very careful."
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