Introduction

 

1. Background

This Senedd Research briefing provides an overview of flooding and coastal erosion in Wales. It sets out the legislative and policy context, and outlines the funding arrangements to address flooding.

The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 legislates flooding and coastal erosion in England and Wales. Section 6 of the Act defines the roles and responsibilities of Risk Management Authorities (RMAs). In Wales these are Natural Resources Wales (NRW), all local authorities (who act as lead local flood authorities (LLFAs)), highway authorities and water and sewerage companies. There are other bodies that have a non-statutory role in flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM), including private landowners and owners of infrastructure assets.

The Act also places a duty on local authorities to develop and implement local flood risk management strategies. The local strategies set objectives for managing local flood risk from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses, and must align with the Welsh Government’s National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in Wales (the ‘National Strategy’).

Pembrokeshire County Council consulted on a draft local flood risk management strategy (the ‘draft strategy’) in March 2025, however a final local strategy does not appear to have been published to date. The draft strategy says:

…370 residential properties within Pembrokeshire are at high risk of flooding from small watercourses and surface water, 114 properties at high risk from river flooding, and 60 residential properties at high risk from coastal.

1.1               Responsibility for flooding

The Welsh Government’s National Strategy gives an overview of the various roles and responsibilities of the RMAs in Wales, in short these are:

 

 

 

 

organisation	Responsibilities
NRW	Coastal and main river
Local Authority	Surface water and small watercourses
Dŵr Cymru	Public sewers
Highway Authority	Highway drainage and roadside ditches

Section 13 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 says that the relevant authorities must cooperate and share information with other relevant authorities, i.e. RMAs and the Welsh Ministers, for the purpose of FCERM.

1.2             Flooding on the B4318

Flooding on the B4318 in the local Tenby area is mainly affected by the flooding from the River Ritec, coastal flooding and surface water.

The draft strategy says the River Ritec has a wider floodplain as it flows through Tenby, and that “flooding is exacerbated by constrictions caused by culverts beneath the A4139 and the railway line which narrows the route available to river flow”.

The B4318 has flooded a number of times in recent years which has been well documented by local news outlets, including in December 2025. It most recently flooded in January 2026.

2     Welsh Government action

The Welsh Government awards funding annually to RMAs through the FCERM Programme. RMAs may bid for funds “to deliver a programme of capital works to reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion to communities across Wales”. Senedd Research calculates that Pembrokeshire County Council has been awarded over £6m since 2022.

Small scale work grants are also available to local authorities for minor works to improve or help alleviate the flood risk. There have been a number of small scale works grants awarded to Pembrokeshire County Council which Senedd Research calculates as totalling £148,750 since 2021.

In his response to the petition, the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS, said that

NRW is currently undertaking a detailed appraisal of future flood risk management options for the River Ritec catchment. A shortlist of options is in development, with an Outline Business Case expected in summer 2026.

The Welsh Government acknowledges that “RMAs will need to collaborate to develop a long-term solution”.  The Cabinet Secretary says that whilst “NRW is hopeful that any works they deliver will help reduce the flood risk”, surface water and highways flooding is the responsibility of other RMAs (as detailed above). Regarding highways flooding, the Cabinet Secretary highlights “specific transport grants” provided to local authorities, and says:

If action on the highway network would alleviate or resolve the problem, then this could be considered by Pembrokeshire County Council as the relevant Highway Authority

The Cabinet Secretary also said the Welsh Government will monitor the location “as part of broader climate adaptation planning. Should the risk to homes and businesses increase, its eligibility for FCERM funding will be reconsidered”.

3    Welsh Parliament action

There has been no specific action taken by the Senedd regarding flooding in Tenby and along the B4318 from the River Ritec. Samuel Kurtz MS,  has brought up the flooding of the River Ritec twice in relation to the Tenby area following severe whether warnings and flooding.

The Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee conducted an inquiry last year on storm responses focusing on flooding.