Storm Ashley caused 'substantial damage' to sea defences due to be abandoned in 30 years

Andrew Forgrave
·2-min read
Some of the 691 Dragon's teeth anti-tank blocks on Fairbourne's shingle bank
-Credit: (Image: Google)


Storm-damaged sea defences have been shored up at a Gwynedd village at risk of being swamped by the sea. Shingle has been banked up at a vulnerable part of Fairbourne’s defences, part-burying some of the village’s most distinctive features.

Arrayed across its coastal defences are an impressive line of 691 anti-tank obstacles, each weighing around two tonnes. Stretching 1.5 miles along the seafront towards the Mawddach Estuary, they were built in 1940 by local people, under Royal Engineers’ supervision, to counter the threat of German invasion by Hitler’s forces.

Some of the pyramidal concrete blocks, called Dragon’s teeth, are inscribed with the names or initials of the men, woman and children who constructed them. They are considered one of the UK’s best-preserved examples of WWII invasion defences.

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But for all their military impregnability, they form part of a coastal barrier that’s struggling to cope with an even more formidable foe. Fairbourne is the first place in Britain where a long-term policy of “no active intervention” has been agreed for its coastal defences.

By around 2054, experts believes rising sea levels will make it neither safe nor sustainable to maintain these defences. It's led to Fairbourne's residents being dubbed the UK’s “first climate change refugees” - a label they fiercely reject.

Until then, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will continue to monitor and maintain the village’s existing defences. Officers were called into action in the wake of Storm Ashley which, on October 19-20, caused “substantial damage” to the shingle bank on which the Dragon’s teeth lie.

NRW reported: “Officers have been working for a number of days to replace a large amount of material in the Friog corner area to help provide protection to the sea wall.” Friog corner is considered vulnerable to scouring as this is where currents swirl as they sweep up against nearby cliffs. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here’s how to sign up

Following recent storm damage, Fairbourne's shingle barrier has been banked up towards and around the Dragon's teeth
Following recent storm damage, Fairbourne's shingle barrier has been banked up towards and around the Dragon's teeth -Credit:NRW

In 2019, 20,000 tonnes of rock armour were added to Friog corner to reduce the risk of a breach. Two years later, sheet piling was inserted into the embankment to stop water seepage into the village during high tides.

During WWII, Fairbourne’s anti-invasion defences included barbed wire, five pillboxes and a minefield. Upright posts were also dug into the beach to impede amphibious crafts.

Now only two pillboxes survive, along with the vast array of Dragon’s teeth blocks. At Friog corner, these have been partially submerged beneath shingle as Fairbourne continues to resist the might of the sea. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday

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