Ruthin-based Jones Bros has begun £4 million coastal defence works at Old Colwyn, the third phase of a multi-million-pound programme on the North Wales coast, as reported by Wales247. The contractor will place 14,000 tonnes of rock armour along 100 metres of shoreline and raise the existing sea wall and promenade by about 1.5m over a further 160 metres.

Old Colwyn’s promenade shields the A55 and the London-Holyhead railway line and is frequently closed when water breaches the sea wall.

Rock armour will come from North Wales quarries where possible. A team of up to 30, including apprentices and subcontractors, will also replace the existing access points with perpendicular stairs, crossover steps and an outfall extension.

Established in the 1950s, Jones Bros owns one of the UK’s largest plant fleets and employs about 570 people, working across highways, flood and marine defence, reservoirs, waste management and renewable energy, according to Jones Bros.

Recent Conwy coastal schemes at Kinmel Bay and Penrhyn Bay involved nearly 66,500 tonnes and 70,000 tonnes of rock armour respectively, as stated by Jones Bros and reported by Insider Media.

Jones Bros project manager Sam Roberts said: “It’s brilliant to be working alongside Conwy County Borough Council yet again to deliver a hugely important coastal defence scheme for the community of Old Colwyn.”

Roberts added: “Our recent developments in Kinmel Bay and Penrhyn Bay put us in a strong position, as we have existing relationships with local suppliers and the experience to deliver these vital improvements.”

Roberts said: “As with every project we undertake, we will be in close contact with residents and have implemented extensive measures to ensure locals, promenade users, and surrounding businesses encounter minimal disruption during the construction period.”

The structural driver is deteriorated sea defences at heightened risk of collapse in large storms. An on-site information cabin will operate throughout the works, which are due for completion in late 2027.

For the sector, the scheme combines rock armour revetment and sea wall raising by a contractor with existing coastal defence experience across the region.