SANDBAGS placed on a Cardigan slipway in a bid to combat tidal flooding from the River Teifi have not proved popular with all neighbouring households.

One resident who contacted the Tivyside fears the scheme could actually make the problem even worse.

The decision to place the sandbags at the top of the slipway on Gloster Row was made by the town council due to ongoing problems with flooding in the town, especially during high spring tides.

Natural Resources Wales is currently looking at a major flood defence scheme to help protect Cardigan from tidal flooding but that has been on the table for years and there is still no funding in place or date yet set for works to begin.

And Welsh Water is currently looking at a £3.7m scheme for a new sewer pipe, pumping station and kiosk at Morgan Street to reduce the risk of flooding that has affected many properties in the Gloster Row/St Mary Street/Church Street area of the town over the years.

The plan to put up a sandbag barrier was agreed at a meeting of Cardigan Town Council as a temporary measure and was hurriedly put in place due to this week’s high tides.

“I think this is well-intentioned but fear it could badly backfire,” said the resident, who did not want to be named.

“When the river floods on high tides, it often bubbles up through the manholes and drains and with the sandbags in place, any water and debris could be prevented from escaping back into the river.

“Yes, something needs to be done but I don’t think this is the answer.

“We are not engineers and have no idea or not whether it will work and I just fear any water will be trapped.

“We are dealing with people’s homes here and while it might be sending a message that something needs to be done urgently, if it goes wrong it is the residents who will pay the price.”