AM Catherine Thomas is given the petition by Craig Lucas's parents

The campaign was launched in May by the parents of young legal executive Craig Lucas from Llanelli whose body was found in the River Tawe earlier this year.

Charlotte and Malcolm Lucas were joined by family and friends to present the petition to Llanelli AM Catherine Thomas who has taken up the case on their behalf.

At least nine people have drowned in the city's waterfront area in the last decade and also present was Richard McDermott, father of 21-year-old Dee McDermott who died there in 1998.

We will look to see if we can work with the local authority in the hope that we can secure the barriers that are needed Llanelli AM Catherine Thomas

Mrs Lucas said she hoped Swansea Council would take notice of all the people signing the petition.

"I just hope the council will put barriers up - there must be the money there.

"Money means nothing compared to lives.

"We do not want another family to go through what we have been through."

Craig Lucas, who was 21, was reported missing after he failed to return home from a night out in the city in April.

An appeal for information was launched, but his body was not found for almost two weeks.

Craig Lucas apparently fell in the water

His parents have devoted the past two months to getting as many people as possible to back their campaign and the region's evening newspaper carried the petition in its pages.

Mr McDermott, from Pendine in Carmarthenshire, was visiting the marina for the first time since his son's death five years ago.

"I did not know so many families had lost so many people in the marina," he said.

"They are spending a lot of money on developments here and they want people to come here.

"I will never know exactly how my son died but they have got to make sure this does not happen again."

Ms Thomas will now pass on the petition to Swansea Council.

"Charlotte and Malcolm have been incredibly brave," she said.

"They do not want any other family to go through the torment that they are still going through.

"We will look to see if we can work with the local authority in the hope that we can secure the barriers that are needed."

Swansea Council is in the process of carrying out a risk audit of the marina area, but a spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment until after an inquest into Mr Lucas' death is held.