FARMERS have expressed deep anger and frustration following the flooding of several hundred acres of land in Meirionnydd in recent days.

The flooding at Llanfrothen, near Porthmadog occurred as a result of the Afon Croesor overflowing once again to the nearby Internal Drainage District causing significant damage to some of the best agricultural land in the area.

Meirionnydd members of the Farmers' Union of Wales said the problem has been brought to the attention of Natural Resources Wales (NRW) on several occasions and site meetings were held following flooding in July last year. This included a meeting on site with Liz Saville Roberts MP.

FUW Meirionnydd county executive officer Huw Jones said: “The Afon Croesor has the status of ‘main river’ and is the responsibility of NRW. During our meetings in August 2020, the NRW officers were shown trees and overhanging branches which impede the flow of the river, and where maintenance work is urgently required.

“We also discussed the clear need to dredge parts of the river. Flood banks in urgent need of repairs were also shown, with a request that a detailed inspection is carried out as soon as possible, with a view to making repairs as soon as possible. We gave a clear warning that doing nothing was not an option.

“It is abundantly clear that the capacity of the river Croesor has been significantly reduced due to the fact that it has not been dredged regularly. It is understood that years ago, dredging would be done every few years, but the position now is that this has not been done for decades, so we have silt building up on the river bed. We have excellent agricultural land in this area, and moreover, there is no doubt that substantial damage is done to habitat and biodiversity with continuous flooding.”

NRW said it had carried out significant work over the last year but some flooding cannot be prevented and that the issue is expected to worsen due to the affects of climate change in the coming years.

FUW member Glyn Griffiths, who farms near Llanfrothen and chairs the Dwyfor & Meirionnydd IDD Advisory Group, said: “We drew attention to several matters which required urgent attention of NRW, and we were promised that works would be carried out.

“It is so disappointing that these promises were not kept, and the necessary works not carried out. The Land Drainage Act 1991 and Water Framework Directives show clearly that NRW has a statutory responsibility as the Drainage Board to maintain and improve the drainage within the district.

“Areas near the Afon Dwyryd at Maentwrog have also suffered from flooding once again. A site meeting was held at the bridge near Maentwrog last August, where the silt that has built up over many years is clearly seen.

“We must now arrange further meetings, investigate and explore fully what the legal obligations are here, and whether NRW have been in breach of their duty of care. The whole issue must again be referred to Liz Saville Roberts MP, and we must make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again.”

James West, team leader in North Wales for Natural Resources Wales said: “One of our main priorities it to reduce the risk of flooding to people and their property.

“We are working to alleviate farmland flooding issues in Llanfrothen Internal Drainage District.

“In the last six months, we have cut weeds along 27km of ditches in the Llanfrothen area and desilted a further 500 metres to manage water levels, improve land drainage and reduce flood risk

“Working with the Brondanw Estate, we have surveyed trees that are causing pressure points along Afon Croesor. A plan is being drawn up to remove trees that may be hindering the flow of river water.

“However, we can’t stop all flooding from happening. As climate change intensifies and we experience extreme weather events, including more intense rain, flood risk management will be an increasing challenge for the years ahead.

“We are keeping local farmers informed of our work and the area benefits from NRW’s flood warning service."