Problems for the cill gates at entrance to Burry Port Harbour

Power surges and electricity cuts caused by the lighting strikes in recent weeks have caused problems with the cill gates at Burry Port Harbour.
The short power cuts householders have been experiencing between Burry Port and Kidwelly sometimes several times a day have been causing the cill gates retaining water in the marina to rise in safety mode. This prevent vessels leaving on the tide.
Carmarthenshire coastal manager Rory Dickinson said: “Every time this happens we have to visit the control room and reset the system to get it operating again.
“It is similar, but a little more complicated than trip switches on a domestic supply.
“There was a power cut last Tuesday following which the cill working mechanism could not be reset.
“Specialists were called in and found the three of the cill gate’s sensors had blown simultaneously.”
“The sensors were new and the specialist thought it was too much of a coincidence for the problems to be anything other than electrical storm related.”
The sensors have been replaced and additional equipment has been installed to try and filter out the damaging effect of power surges.
Mr Dickinson said there had been little inconvenience to boat owners because the windy weather was largely too bad over the affected period to risk going to sea.