BUSINESSES working from Pwllheli marina have demanded a meeting with Gwynedd Council boss Harry Thomas to discuss what they view as a waste of public money. For the last four years, the authority has been spending around £85,000 annually on dredging Pwllheli marina. But members of Pwllheli Marine Trade Association (MTA) claim the area is in a worse state now than when the work began, and the people using the waters every day could have completed the job at a fraction of the cost. MTA chairman Ian Harrison said: "The marina is silting up quicker than it's being dredged. He added: "We have written to Harry Thomas demanding a formal meeting, as it's having a major effect on our industry and the local economy. Silting up of the harbour means boats are being damaged. We need traffic lights as the channels have become so narrow, it's dangerous. Larger craft cannot come into the marina until the middle tide." Official figures on how much mud and silt has been removed from the harbour, and the cost of the work, was obtained by the MTA through the Freedom of Information Act. A letter from the management of Yacht Haven, managers of Hafan Pwllheli, obtained by the Herald, claimed that Gwynedd Council was "paying over the odds" for the dredging service. The MTA has now threatened to present its figures to the Ombudsman. A spokesman for Gwynedd Council confirmed that the request for a meeting had been received. He added: "During the winter months of 2005/06, the contractor employed by Gwynedd Council completed the annual dredging requirements within the marina basin. "Council officers have completed a hydrographic survey of the dredged area, and the marina basin is adequately dredged for the purpose berthing yachts on the pontoons. "The previous contract between the council and the contractor has come to the end of its agreed term, and the council will be retendering the work during the next few months. The previous contract was agreed following a process of competitive tender. "The dredging procedure at Pwllheli Harbour involves removing the dredged material from the harbour, and disposing of the material at the disposal site. This process is more cost-effective in the long term." | 
