The Mill Creek canal seawall must be replaced rather than repaired if the island is to avoid the danger of widespread flooding in Pembroke, a prominent businessman has warned.

Ed Faries, vice-president, sales and service at Tops Ltd on Mill Creek Road in Pembroke, said the seawall cracks had expanded, raising the prospect that the wall would collapse.

The Government has issued a request for proposals for “Pembroke Canal Outfall Maintenance”. Under “The Deliverables”, the RFP said: “Upon inspection of the cleaned concrete surface, the MPW engineer may issue an instruction to complete repairs to the concrete.”

Mr Faries, who has long sounded the alarm about the prospect of widespread flooding, said he was pleased to see action being taken by the Government but that the RFP must go further.

“The island needs to recognise that the wall needs to be replaced rather than another band-aid solution. If it’s just another band-aid again, what’s the point of that? It’s just kicking the can down the road again.

“If you seal the holes, will that stop the wall from falling? The RFP that has been issued doesn’t go far enough.”

Mr Faries, who has worked on Mill Creek Road for 22 years, said: “This has become pretty serious now. Every day I come in, I wonder if I am going to find Pembroke flooded, not just the road.

“If the wall falls, it will flood all the way to TCD.”

Mr Faries said the seawall has been undermined by salt water, with the result that the rebar that held it together was rusting away.

He said: “It has a strong chance of simply breaking and falling over.”

Mr Faries said the Government replaced the sluice gate next to the seawall some years ago.

The sluice gate lets water out into the ocean, while the seawall and the surrounding concrete of the sluice gate — and the sluice gate itself — keeps the ocean out of Pembroke.

Mr Faries said: “The sluice gate is fantastic. Government did a great job replacing that.

“Unfortunately, the seawall/dyke should have been replaced at the same time. It is now falling away and will result in disaster if it’s not addressed asap.”

He added: “They had to either cut or break down the old seawall away from the sluice gate wall. When they built the new part, they clearly did not tie in the old with the new. So now the old wall has nothing holding it up except the base.

“That is where you now see major saltwater leaks. The weight of the entire Atlantic Ocean is pressing on the wall.”

Mr Faries said the worst problems occurred during a full moon, when tides were highest.

On October 12, during a full moon, the tide was at 4.6 feet and water poured through the cracks – but it had subsided to 3.9 feet by the following week.

“You are not seeing water flowing through the wall a foot in the air right now,” Mr Faries said.

The next full moon is on November 15.

Mr Faries also has concerns about the RFP’s timing. The submission deadline is November 7, with the Government anticipating the execution of an agreement by November 25. The contract award is for 180 days.

He said: “The wall is collapsing. This doesn’t need to be fixed next year; it needs to be fixed asap. The cracks are getting bigger and bigger.”

The seawall issue is distinct from the flooding that happens on Mill Creek Road during heavy rains, as happened last Wednesday when more than seven inches of rain fell.

Mr Faries said: “The rain is never going to flood all of Pembroke for months. But if the seawall collapses, all of central Pembroke all the way to TCD will flood at full moon.”

Questions were put to the Government about the issue but a reply had not been received at press time.