CALLS have been made to clear away an array of rotting canoes and boats said to be littering the poplar beaches of Aberporth.

Members of the Aberporth Village Hall Committee have expressed alarm at the number of abandoned vessels they say have turned the perimeter of the beaches into a ‘ship graveyard’.

Chairman Richard Jennings – who has teamed up with Aberporth Community Council chairman Gethin Davies to try and seek a solution – said: “From what Gethin tells me you’re talking about upwards of 30 vessels of some description.

“The problem seems to be that a lot of these water­craft are used during the busy summer months and then bunged up on the sand at the end of the season and simply forgotten about.

“Seeing all these rotting boats lying about Dolwen and Dyffryn beaches is not very attractive to be honest and it would be nice to have some semblance of order down there. I myself always took my boat home with me at night.

“We’ve agreed that we need to tidy them up and try and get rid of those that are no longer seaworthy – some are quite literally rotting away.

“We must also try and establish who the owners are. I can probably put names to about 10 of these abandoned craft.”

Local county councillor Gethin James agreed the problem had worsened over the years.

See this week’s Cardigan & Newcastle Emlyn edition for the full story, in shops and online now