Future of popular seaside summer event hangs in the balance after safety warning

Bruce Sinclair

The future of one of Wales’ biggest free summer events is set to be decided within days after police warned it had become “a disaster waiting to happen”.

Pembrokeshire councillors have been asked to decide whether Tenby’s Summer Spectacular can continue under its current licence following concerns over overcrowding and public safety.

The annual harbour event, organised by Tenby Round Table, has long been a highlight of the resort’s summer calendar, attracting thousands of visitors with live music, food and drink, before culminating in a fireworks display.

However, this year’s two planned events were provisionally cancelled after organisers said they had been unable to reach agreement with Pembrokeshire County Council over temporary restrictions on pedestrian access to the harbour and beach.

The dispute prompted Dyfed-Powys Police to apply for a review of the event’s premises licence, arguing it was “no longer fit for purpose”.

At a meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s licensing sub-committee, police urged councillors to revoke the licence, warning that overcrowding and limited escape routes created an unacceptable risk to public safety.

A police representative said the event had evolved from “a family event to a large-scale drinking environment” and warned the current arrangements were “a disaster waiting to happen”.

Emergency services estimate the harbour area should have a maximum capacity of around 1,600 people, but believe crowds of around 3,000 have attended in recent years, raising fears of dangerous crowd surges in the event of an emergency.

The Welsh Ambulance Service raised concerns about emergency access, while Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service also highlighted public safety issues.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s lead licensing officer, Geraint Griffiths, described the current arrangements as “very dangerous” and warned the event was “an incident waiting to happen”.

Tenby Round Table disputed some of the incident figures presented by the emergency services, arguing they included matters unrelated to the event.

Access

The volunteer organisers said they had spent almost a year trying to resolve concerns over controlling access to the harbour but had been unable to obtain the clarity needed to complete a safe event management plan.

“This year’s event has been cancelled,” committee members were told. “It arose from the sheer volume of people visiting Tenby creating a question we have tried to get answered for the best part of a year.

“Without a clear answer we couldn’t finish our licensing plan and couldn’t responsibly hold our events.”

Councillor Mark Carter suggested the spectacular may have become “too successful” for its current location and questioned whether it had outgrown the harbour setting.

He described access from the nearby beach as “the elephant in the room” and said he hoped organisers would be able to develop a robust solution if the event returns.

The committee considered a range of options, including revoking the licence or amending its conditions.

Chairman Cllr Tim Evans said members would deliberate before issuing a written decision, which is expected within five working days.