AFTER the very public failure of the new West Kirby Flood Defence Wall, it is clear that Wirral Council has spent £20m on basically a 1.1km long concrete bench that is totally unfit for its intended purpose.

The Council's statement of April 9 tried to put a positive spin on the wall’s total failure saying it was "designed to take the power out of tidal waves".

However, if you Google the Council's “Flood Investigation Report for December 5, 2013" issued shortly after the 2013 floods this stated in its conclusions that the Marine Lake itself provided significant protection against wave action.

I’m not sure how the new wall "provides protection against higher levels of flooding" as once the 1.2m high wall is overtopped it is useless.

To add insult to injury, once the tide had receded, the wall kept the flood water in rather than allowing it to ebb away which I’m sure is precisely the opposite of its intended design purpose.

Maybe instead of trying to assert that something that has so clearly failed so soon is working, the council might like to sue the architects and seek a refund of the money it has wasted on this white elephant.

Jonathan Wright, Barnston