LLANDDULAS has its worms back! Tiny reef-building worms have returned to the North Wales coast after a break of 60 years. In just two years the creatures have created a 350m (1,148 ft) long reef on the beach in Llanddulas, between Old Colwyn and Abergele. The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) says the return of the worm was an encouraging sign for the environment. Gabe Wyn, CCW’s intertidal team leader, said: "Many areas of honeycomb reef have been lost from our shores, possibly due to pollution, coastal engineering work or even bait digging." "But the reef worm’s return to Llanddulas means that the conditions here must be just right for it and is an encouraging sign about the health of the environment along this part of the Welsh coast." Honeycomb worms build the reef by creating tightly packed tubes from sand and shell on moderately exposed shores. Although quite brittle, the reefs provide stability for a mix of other species including anemones, barnacles, limpets, winkles, whelks, mussels and crabs. Darren Millar, AM for Clwyd West and shadow minister for the environment, is encouraging his constituents to make a visit to see the new reef. "It is amazing to see the strange landscape that these little creatures have built in such a short space of time – I’d encourage everyone to go and see this fascinating sight for themselves," he said. "The return of the honeycomb worms to Llanddulas is a clear sign that our local environment is improving and it will be interesting to see how the reef develops and matures over the next few years. "I very much hope that locals and visitors to the area will do their best to protect the new reef and raise awareness of just how special this part of the North Wales coast really is." | 
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