A local county councillor has thanked the efforts of the community to get action taken to alleviate a longstanding flooding issue on the B4318 route in and out of Tenby - but admits that the problem will persist for some time until a properly funded, long-term solution is found.

People have been urged to sign a petition in recent weeks to get the flooding hotspot at Gumfreston debated by Welsh Government at the Senedd - but unfortunately the target of 10,000 signatures, needed for action to be taken, fell short before the deadline of January 31.

Although the road is maintained by Pembrokeshire County Council, flooding is caused by surface water runoff, high River Ritec levels, and tidal locking at the South Beach outfall during high tides.

County councillor for the wards of Gumfreston and St Florence, Cllr Rhys Jordan has long shared his frustrations over the situation, and created the petition, as he found that he had come up against a brick wall in trying to get the Local Authority to act, admitting that the repeated flooding on the road could no longer be resolved through local routes alone.

Cllr Jordan said: “The petition has now closed, and I want to say a huge thank you to all 3,454 people who took the time to sign, share, message others, and keep pushing this issue.

“That level of support matters, and it has not gone unnoticed. I also want to recognise those locally and nationally who got behind the petition and helped spread the word, putting political affiliations aside for the greater good of our area.

“Unfortunately, we did not reach the 10,000 signatures required for a Senedd debate, so that stage will not be triggered. I know that will be disappointing for many.

“What I can share is this: The Welsh Government does recognise the disruption and impact this issue is having, and responsibilities sit across multiple bodies. Flooding here is influenced by a combination of river capacity, surface water, drainage, and tidal factors.

“Work is ongoing at a technical level to assess longer-term options, but current national funding frameworks prioritise risk to homes and businesses, which makes securing major investment challenging at this stage.”

The Petitions Committee will now formally consider the petition and the responses received.

“I want to be very clear - I am not giving up. I will continue to push, raise this issue, and apply pressure wherever possible. But I also need to be honest; this problem will persist for some time unless and until a properly funded, long-term solution is agreed,” continued Cllr Jordan.

“Thank you again to everyone who stood up, spoke out, and backed this campaign. Your voices still matter and this isn’t the end.”

Senedd Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Samuel Kurtz spoke about the issues at Welsh Parliament on January 27, stating: “What Cllr Rhys Jordan is calling for, is a multi-agency approach, to tackle this once and for all. It’s becoming a real problem, and it’s only getting worse!”