A CONCERNED Gwynedd councillor hopes to allay fears that Tywyn is at immediate risk from flood damage as sea levels rise.

Cllr Mike Stevens, told fellow councillors to tell them that literature would soon be sent out to residents explaining how Tywyn may be affected by rising sea levels in future years.

He was keen to avoid a “situation like Fairbourne”, where a community which was “blighted” following misleading reports that the village was set to be abandoned to the sea within the next 15 years.

In fact, the coastal village has been safeguarded for at least 40 years by Gwynedd Council, but that has not prevented house prices in the area from tumbling.

Speaking to his colleagues, Cllr Stevens said: “Information will be sent out warning that 20 coastal towns in Gwynedd, including Tywyn, are in danger of flooding over the next 100 years.

“I’m a bit concerned as the information can be alarmist.

“As we’ve seen in Fairbourne, the information provided in the Shoreline Management Plan is out of date.

“The plan suggests that sea levels will rise one metre over the next 50 years, but on the other hand NASA believe the rise may only be two centimetres over the same period.

“There’s certainly a difference of opinion, it’s not an exact science.

“I’m just cautious to warn Tywyn people they aren’t going to be deluged any time soon.

“When we saw the storms battering Aberystwyth in 2014, Tywyn was unscathed, apart from the railway line being washed away.

“I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”

When asked to comment on the matter, a Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “Our aim is to raise awareness amongst the county’s communities so that property owners can consider the steps that may be necessary in years to come to mitigate where possible any possible risks."

Read the full story in this week’s Meirionnydd edition of the Cambrian News