There will be no community council election on 10 June in Pendine

Not one candidate has put their name forward for any of the seven seats in the seaside village of Pendine.

Existing councillors are refusing to stand after being told they could be held responsible for accidents on the beach.

Carmarthenshire Council is now looking to see if it can take temporary charge of its duties.

At this time there is little to attract anyone to volunteer to take on the responsibility of an unpaid community councillor Council clerk Paul Wilkins

These include street-lighting, grass cutting, beach cleaning and running the village hall.

Pendine is made up of about 130 homes although more than 60,000 people come to visit every year.

As the revenue it gets from council tax is only �3,000 the authority has raised extra money - around �20,000 a year - by charging cars to park on a half-mile stretch of land it owns at the beach.

Most of the remaining foreshore is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) which has a base at Pendine.

Corporate manslaughter

A risk study done by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has found that vehicles on the sands - including an increasing number of quad bikes - are an unacceptable danger.

It has advised councillors that land owners - or those allowing access to the beach - could face corporate manslaughter charges if there is a fatal accident.

The council has now blocked off its slip-way to the beach and is no longer charging for parking - but that means it cannot afford to pay for services.

Community council clerk Paul Wilkins said: "The loss of over �20,000 income from vehicle charges will mean the council will have to rely on a �3,000 precept.

"This is clearly insufficient for most, if not all, of the current services and facilities it provides."

Members had also been concerned they could be held responsible for accidents on the sands, he said.

Cut-off date

"In the absence of any indication of a solution to the problems facing the council and the possible liability to prosecution, at this time there is little to attract anyone to volunteer to take on the responsibility of an unpaid community councillor."

Carmarthenshire Council says it will work with Pendine council and the MoD to try and resolve the problems.

In the meantime, chief executive Mark James said the authority may take over some of its duties.

The cut-off date for election nominations had now passed so no community council election would be held in Pendine.

"The county council has powers in certain circumstances to assist community councils who find themselves in difficulties of this nature," he explained.