A COMBINATION of exceptionally high spring tides and tidal surges were the cause of major flooding in Lower Town Fishguard at the start of 2014.

That is the conclusion reached in Pembrokeshire County Council’s recent Flood Investigation Report.

Being the Lead Local Flood Authority, the county council had a duty to investigate the flooding with the aim of finding out which authorities were involved and what actions have or will be taken in the future.

The incident on January 3, 2014 saw the closure of the A487 and 14 properties in Bridge Street, Quay Street and Glynymel Road suffer internal flooding.

Locals were of the opinion that the highway gullies were blocked causing the road to become flooded, but this was found not to be the case as they had recently been cleaned. Sewage related flooding was also ruled out, as was a physical blockage to the single arch bridge where it enters the harbour.

The report states: “It has become apparent that flooding along the highway could not be prevented; however, although most properties had flood gates and or sand bag protection, ‘wash’ from passing vehicles was contributing to a wave which over-topped undefended thresholds.”

Looking at the response to the incident, a multi-agency teleconference was held on the afternoon of January 2, followed by a Strategic Coordination Group meeting of the Local Resilience Forum. As a result, emergency planning procedures were put in place for the following day. Natural Resources Wales issued flood alerts and warnings, and the county council launched Tide Watch so man power was in place to provide sandbags and assistance where required. A number of Situation Reports were also sent out keeping the public and press up to date.

“It is considered that the proactive social and conventional media messages that had been issued, warning and informing the public, had a positive impact,” said the report.

The report concluded the flood can be attributed to the “overtopping of the quay, harbour, river wall and banks as a result of exceptional high spring tides, tidal surge and fluvial influences.”

A number of recommendations were made, including:

• Pembrokeshire County Council reviewing its response to the incident and making improvements if necessary

• Road closures put in place quicker to prevent the possibility of “wash” from passing vehicles

• A487 highways drainage system to be further investigated to see if work can be carried out to prevent or reduce surcharging of highway gullies

• Dwr Cymru continue to monitor, operate and maintain the public sewer network to ensure it can resist excessive rainfall

• Natural Resources Wales investigate the provision of flood gates at the public car park entrance

• Ensure that residents are made award of flood prevention measures available and encourage them to sign up for flood warnings