Stuck car and controlled blast highlight locals' fears over beach visitor centre axe

A DRIVER had a close call when his car was enveloped by sea water at a notorious beach. Onlookers watched in alarm as the Ford Mondeo estate was slowly engulfed by a five-metre high tide at Traeth Ynyslas on the west Wales coast.

- By ANDREW FORGRAVE

Some called out for the owner, others ran around trying to find towing rope. A few wondered if they ought to intervene by smashing the car's windows so it could be pushed to safety. "A window is cheaper than a whole car," noted one person online.

In the nick of time, the driver returned, wading out to the vehicle in the hope it would restart. To everyone's relief, the car churned up the water as it reversed rapidly to dry land.

As well as fast-rising tides, the beach is renowned for its unexploded ordnance, the legacy of the area's use as a test range for rocket-propelled explosives during and after World War II. Just a few days later, a controlled detonation was carried out by the army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit. Beachgoers were again reminded not to touch any items on the beach that might look like old bombs or shells.

Both incidents have been highlighted by local people campaigning to reverse the closure of the visitor centre at Ynyslas Nature Reserve, just south of the Dyfi Estuary. On April 1, its cafes and shops were shut by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), along with those at Coed y Brenin near Dolgellau and Bwlch Nant yr Arian in Ceredigion.

Ynyslas campaigners claim the loss of staff from the site is endangering both wildlife and the public at a site that attracts 225,000 visitors each year. Around 100,000 vehicles a year park up on the beach for a £4-a-day fee.