AN order to close a public footpath at St Dogmaels is set to be heard later this month.

The footpath at Water Street goes down the steps from the B4546 and Pembrokeshire County Council want to close it so that defences can be installed to protect a young family’s home at Penally Mews from flooding.

The council argues that people can use another section of path that runs adjacent to the one in question.

The long-running issue attracted huge interest in the village and last October the Community Council voted unanimously to support the proposed closure.

It has taken more than 12 months from that vote to get to the stopping up order being finalised by the county council and that order will be now be heard by magistrates at Haverfordwest on November 19.

But the news was not welcomed by everyone when it was relayed back at the latest meeting of St Dogmaels Community Council.

Cllr Melrose Thomas said she had felt “pressured” at the time into agreeing to the footpath’s closure.

“I am sad because they have deemed the footpath ‘unnecessary’. We fought hard for that footpath and I understand there is another footpath that is nearby that has had floodgates built on it and is still open,” she said.

Cllr Gill Wislocka said she did not want to set a precedent for closing paths but added: “If we stop this and people there are flooded then we look really bad. We are in a bind.”

Cllr Jonathan Martin said: “We have voted on this issue and there is collective responsibility to stand by the decision.”

Cllr Phil Hutchings said: “We voted to stop a young family having sewage flowing through their home."