Barmouth residents enjoyed a “fantastic night” at this year’s annual firework display, but train overcrowding caused issues for some, threatening to spoil the event.

The firework display on Saturday, 7 November brought people to the seaside town from miles around to watch the always incredible display. Following the event, organisers said seeing so many people there “made all the hard work worthwhile”.

But the number of people travelling by train caused problems for Transport for Wales (TfW) and rail users.

“What an absolutely fantastic night for Barmouth!” a spokesperson for the Barmouth Bonfire & Fireworks Association said.

“We couldn’t be happier with how this year’s bonfire and fireworks display went.

“Seeing so many people turn out makes all the hard work worthwhile.

“We were also pleased to include a short Remembrance tribute ahead of Remembrance Sunday, which was respectfully observed by everyone.

“A massive thank you to all our volunteers, marshals, local businesses and everyone who helped make the event possible. We really couldn’t do it without them.

“This is a completely free event, funded entirely by donations, so we’re extremely grateful for everyone’s continued support.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved again this year and hope everyone enjoyed the display. We’re already looking forward to making next year’s even bigger and better!”

But there were issues for some people who experienced difficulty with train services on the day, as association members acknowledged in a post on their Facebook page.

The post said: “Following our fireworks display, we have received complaints about the train service operating with only two carriages, leaving many people unable to board. “We completely understand everyone's frustration. However, we would like to make it clear that the provision of the train service is completely outside our control.

“We have raised concerns with Transport for Wales (TfW) on numerous occasions and they are fully aware of just how busy the service gets on fireworks night. Despite this, the capacity provided was clearly not sufficient.

“We strongly encourage anyone affected, especially those who were unable to get on the train, to make a formal complaint directly to TfW. They need to hear from passengers about the problems caused and the need for a better service in future.

“We do everything we can to make the event a success, but unfortunately, the train service is not something we have any control over.

“Thank you for your understanding and continued support.”

TfW told the ‘Cambrian News’ that they had “employed extra security on the night to support crowd safety”, but had not been contacted by the firework event organisers.

A TfW spokesperson said: "We are aware of passenger concerns following Saturday’s firework display event in Barmouth. 

"We always look to increase capacity where possible and have recently introduced brand-new trains on this line to improve passenger journeys.

"While TfW deployed additional security staff on the night to support crowd safety, we were not contacted by the event organisers ahead of the display. We strongly encourage organisers to engage with us early for future events so we can work together to plan for increased demand."