CALLS have been made to stop the A499 between Pwllheli and Llanbedrog from flooding after homes there flooded for the second time this year.

Pwllheli (North) councillor Dylan Bullard said last week’s flooding and subsequent road closure was “frustrating”, affected businesses, residents and visitors, and could have been catastrophic if the emergency services had needed to get through.

The road and several houses flooded last Thursday when heavy rain hit the region. Diversion signs advised motorists to go through Rhydyclafdy but Geraint Jones, of 2 Riverside, said some people ignored them.

He said: “I came home on Friday afternoon to find water in my house. The problem escalated when drivers ignored the signs and water flooded in. Thankfully this time the floor is tiled so it’s just a cleaning up job. In January the carpet was damaged but we changed that to tiles. But it’s still dirty water. It’s not very nice to have in the house.”

Mr Jones’ house also flooded in January. He would like something to be done to stop it happening again, but he is not hopeful.

“I don’t think anyone is going to do anything. There are only six houses there.”

The road finally reopened on Monday and Cllr Bullard said: “It’s been a really frustrating couple of days. At one stage it would have taken the emergency services far longer than usual to reach any emergency. The fact experts are predicting more of this surely signifies the need for authorities to finally do something.”

Gwynedd Council said staff “took swift action to temporarily close the road”.

“We appreciate this caused inconvenience but conditions meant that there was no other option to ensure the safety of road users, and to ease the impact on residents in Riverside.

“We have worked closely with Natural Resources Wales and others to introduce improvements to this stretch of road in the past and have installed signage to warn motorists of possible flooding.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are currently seeking further information from Gwynedd Council and NRW about the cause of the flooding.

“Our aim is to reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion for people and communities across Wales and we will fund additional flood protection for at least 45,000 homes this government term.”

Keith Ivens, flood risk manager for NRW in North Wales said: “This low-lying area is problematic when heavy rain coincides with high tide. At such times this unfortunately affects the A499 and residents of Riverside. We sympathise, and recognise flooding can also be an inconvenience when it leads to road closure for the safety of motorists.

“In the face of climate change and sea level rise, we are likely to see more of these events. This is a major challenge going forward, and we are working with Gwynedd Council and others to address how best to help reduce Pwllheli’s flood risk.

“Information on what to do before, during and after a flood is available at www.naturalre sources.wales/flooding or by calling Floodline 24 hours a day on 0345 988 1188, where people can also sign up for free flood warnings.”­