After the removal of a sign which gave notice of a dam to be constructed in ancient woodland, residents are uncertain of how Natural Resources Wales (NRW) will proceed.

Part of the sign, which was erected last March, notified the public that the construction of a flood storage area on the Cadoxton River was the "best option" to reduce the risk of flooding to houses in Dinas Powys.

But last week Cathy Farr, who is a member of the local campaign group, Stop the Dam, and several other residents were notified by NRW that the sign had been removed to facilitate the release of an upcoming Outline Business Case.

Cathy said:"We hoped that the Outline Business Case would state NRW’s preferred option but an email from Clare Pillman, NRW’s CEO, states that it will not identify a preferred option.

"Yet all of the information and discussions we have had with NRW in the last 10 months clearly indicate that the flood storage area is the preferred option."

The proposal to construct a dam 60m wide and 3.5m high on land belonging to the Woodland Trust has attracted local opposition on the grounds that it will damage ancient woodland, use up to £7m of public money and restrict access to a popular recreational area.

John Hogg, Head of Operations for Natural Resources Wales, said:

“We recognise that there is an identifiable flood risk in this area, and we would like to find a solution to the flood risk that is acceptable to the community.

“We have been listening to what stakeholders and the community are saying and we are feeding this into the options appraisal.

"We have not made any decisions and we remain committed to updating everyone on where we have got to by the end of January."

Commenting on the removal of the sign, Community Councillor Chris Franks said:

"NRW has sent mixed messages. The sign erected 10 months ago said that the preferred option was a dam. Subsequently NRW has clouded the issue.

"There are questions raised by Plaid Councillors that have not been adequately answered."

Further updates from the Stop the Dam campaign can be found on the group's Facebook page and at: www.stopdinasdam.co.uk.