A LOCAL politician is calling for lifeguards to be present on beaches across Gwynedd in the wake of the recent tragedy in which two teenagers lost their lives.

Since July 2015, Meirionnydd has witnessed the devastating deaths of Richard Guest at Tywyn, and Yahye Mohamed and Waseem Muflahi off the shores of Barmouth.

Although beach wardens were present at the scene for each of the horrendous events - and were crucial in rescuing a third man from the sea in Barmouth at the time of the latest incident - questions have been asked about whether trained RNLI lifeguards on site may have helped avert the tragedies.

MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Liz Saville Roberts, has this week made calls for lifeguards to be employed on beaches in the county.

She said: “The untimely deaths of Yahye Mohammed and Waseem Muflehi serve to remind us how dangerous and unpredictable the sea can be.

“I’d like to extend my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the two boys and pay tribute to all those involved with the search, particularly the local beach wardens, harbour team and the RNLI, whose efforts should be highly commended.”

“A number of local coastal resorts have beach wardens who do a great job, but their powers are limited. Although they will undoubtedly be receptive and conscious of safety issues, they are not specifically trained to undertake lifesaving duties. Their role focuses on beach management.”

“In light of recent events and given the number of visitors choosing to spend their holidays at our popular coastal towns, I think it would be timely to look again at employing a team of dedicated lifeguards at certain beaches in Gwynedd. All options to improve safety should be considered and a collaborative effort is required to explore how this could be arranged.”

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