PERMANENT COASTWATCH STATION TO BOOST SAFETY ON DANGEROUS BEACH

ONE of the most treacherous shorelines in North Wales is to get an upgraded safety service. A permanent National Coastwatch station will next week open on Llandudno’s popular West Shore beach.

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Each year the area's sandbanks snare scores of holidaymakers cut off by incoming tides. Another concern is the rising use of inflatables, including paddleboards, which risk being carried out to sea.

A succession of close-calls this summer prompted calls for better safety measures such as sirens and red flags. Recent incidents have ranged from near-drownings to the death of a vulnerable teenager who went missing on the beach.

The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) said a large portacabin will replace a small trailer-mounted lookout next to the Dale Road car park. This was installed on the shoreline in 2019 but it has since been declared unfit for purpose and was towed away this summer.