An investigation is underway after a Welsh caravan park allegedly carried out building work on a beach during lockdown without permission.
The work has been carried out on a section of St Ishmael beach between the Carmarthenshire villages of Kidwelly and Ferryside, which backs onto Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park.
It took place before the turn of the year and, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW), was only halted after an officer turned up at the site.
Pictures taken from the scene show the altered landscape, with stones at the bottom of sand dunes. According to the caravan park the work has taken place to prevent 'potentially dangerous chunks of soil' from falling onto the beach. It said it was keeping NRW regularly up to date on the work it was doing.
One nearby resident, who did not wish to be named, noticed the changes when walking in the area earlier this month.
He believed the work had been done to prevent erosion eating into the land where the caravans at the park, owned and managed by Parkdean Resorts, were located.
“Cut stones have been dragged into place by a large digger, while the aggregate infill has been scrapped up from the beach," he claimed.
“Someone has obviously alerted the authorities because the work has stopped.”
NRW confirmed it was now investigating the issue and that work was no longer being carried out at the site.
Ioan Williams, environment team leader for NRW, said: “We were made aware of this work being carried out in a Special Area of Conservation by Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park on December 28, 2020.
“An officer attended and stopped the work immediately.
“A full investigation into any failures to notify the relevant authorities and possible impacts on the marine environment is ongoing.”
Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park said it enjoyed a good relationship with NRW and that the only construction carried out in the area concerned had been emergency work done in an attempt to ward off potential danger to anyone on the beach below.
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A spokesman for the caravan park said: “Emergency work is being carried out to stop large and potentially dangerous chunks of soil falling onto the beach. After seeking advice from coastal engineers, we appointed well-qualified local contractors, with experience in this field, to carry out the required work.
“We enjoy a very good working relationship with NRW, and are keeping them regularly updated on all the work we are carrying out.”
When asked to clarify the matter, NRW said it could not comment further because an investigation was ongoing.
