Aberaeron harbour entrance is to be dredged for the second time in just over two months.

Ceredigion County Council has announced it is returning with its diggers between 16-23 April to address the returning build-up of silt and debris in the new harbour entrance.

Silt build-up in the entrance has been causing problems for harbour users since the new breakwater structure was completed in October last year.

The council only dredged the entrance in early February ahead of boats returning to the harbour, but has been forced to do it again despite the boats not returning until late April.

The council hasn’t responded to the Cambrian News’ questions of how much this repeated dredging is costing the taxpayer.

Regular harbour user Jonathan Price Jones said: “Currently, you can get in and out of the entrance, but you’re constrained by the height of the tide and draft of the boat.

“The designers predicted there would be an accumulation of debris.

“Why, in light of them knowing this was going to happen, did they go ahead and put the breakwater to the southwest?”

Harbour users report difficulty navigating the entrance which has been narrowed due to the raised channel bed, leaving an increasingly small space to clear the bottom of their boats even at high tide.

The new breakwater, which extends out from the harbour entrance and curves south west, catches the predominant south-north longshore drift, bringing with it sand, shingle, debris and silt that collects in the harbour's narrow entrance.

Ceredigion County Council has previously defended the decision to build the breakwater as a flood defence system this way round, as data showed the worst flooding has historically occurred from storms with winds from the north west.

Harbour users and Aberaeron County Councillor Elizabeth Evans campaigned for the entrance to be cleared prior to the boats returning in spring.

On the upcoming dredging, the council said: “During this period, we will also complete interim works to the South Pier rock groyne, to help reduce shingle build-up and maintain safer access to the harbour.

“These works are temporary measures whilst we continue developing a long-term solution to the issue of shingle build-up.

“We understand that people are concerned about the ongoing shingle deposits at the harbour entrance.

“We are actively working with our design consultants to develop a sustainable long-term solution, and we will be consulting with Natural Resources Wales throughout the process.

“Our priority is to keep the harbour entrance open and safe for everyone who uses it.”

Concerns have been raised from the angling community that continuous dredging may impact the migratory fish species that use the harbour entrance to access the River Aeron.

The West Wales Rivers Trust deemed the harbour dredging as “unlikely” to affect fish species, but only if done infrequently.

A spokesperson for the Trust added: “It would be best to avoid any dredging when smolts (young salmon or sea trout) are dropping out from the rivers to the sea, which usually happens around the end of April/ early May.”