A plea to stop a piece of Tenby's history being lost to a skip has been made this week.

The future of the Festival of Light Beacon, dating 1951, which once stood at the town's South Beach, has come under the spotlight after it was discovered dumped with rubbish and rubble at the weekend.

It is understood that the beacon was originally taken down by OPCO construction company for the Water's Edge development at the former Fountains Cafe site.

"When I went to a meeting with the construction manager and two PR members of the company in January 2011, they told me that the beacon would be put somewhere safe and they would then have it restored and put back up as a feature somewhere within or near the development," said Joy Ford-Kicinski, who has previously written to us about its preservation.

"Rumour now has it that the receivers for the Water's Edge site have either received an offer for the site or have agreed to buy the site from the receivers," she continued.

"Unfortunately, I have located the beacon just dumped with rubble and rubbish at the Water's Edge site and took this photograph of it on Sunday, but even worse, one of the contributors on the Tenby Through Time Facebook site believes that the beacon is now owned by the receivers and this seems so wrong.

"I do feel we need to act immediately before this beacon is lost to the town."

Tenby Civic Society has also been involved in attempting to preserve the beacon.

Chairman Harry Gardiner told us: "The column was agreed to be moved to enable site work, but to be re-erected as part of the new scheme, all agreed in the planning permission and protected by the column's listed status.

"The developer going into receivership put the second building and the 'piazza' on hold, as well as the column and the building frame rusting in that sea air.

"We expressed concern last year to the planners and were assured the planning requirements still applied and the receiver was seeking to sell the scheme.

"Following concern last week about the state of the column on the Tenby Through Time Facebook group, I raised the worries with the town council who contacted the Park Planning Authority. Prompt replies came back from both that the column was still protected and good news that the 'new owner' has been reminded of the requirement to protect and re-position the column as part of the completion of the scheme. I understand a planning official has discussed the column on site with the owners, and that the site manager and their solicitor has been informed of the protection needed."

However, Mr. Gardiner feels this is not the end of the story.

He continued: "We have seen items like this 'lost' on other development sites in the town when the building contractors arrive. Eight complete railings formerly from the Victoria Pier 'disappeared' when the underground car park was excavated on the Guildhall site. The developers went bust before replacements could be commissioned and installed. The original balcony railings from the Royal Gatehouse Hotel were preserved on that site for several years with the balcony columns. But after work started on re-constructing the new hotel, these railings too 'disappeared.'

"We can appreciate how complex a construction project is, but such historic remnants of the original sites or buildings can easily, it seems, get a low priority or worse from the contractors.

"The more fuss that is made on behalf of protecting, restoring and re-erecting the column, the better as far as our society is concerned. Otherwise, local history could just go in the skip again. If the new owner has the resources to meet their responsibilities, there is no reason why the column should not be standing proudly in a properly completed shiny development. We wait and watch with hope that commitments are met."

FOOTNOTE: Merlin's Cave has again be creating a lot of discussion, interest and despair on Tenby Through Time on Facebook. Joy Ford-Kicinski is appealing to readers or their relatives for any photographs, sketches or memories in relation to the cave. "If they have and could leave them at your offices or contact you for me to pick them up from them, I would then have copies taken and return them to them if that is what they would want," said Joy.