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There's nothing like the welcoming sight of a bench to have a rest, sip a drop of tea and take in the sights during a bracing walk along the coast.

But anyone wanting to sit on this Porthcawl bench would find it a struggle.

Workmen installed new railings over the bench - making sitting on it a virtually impossible task, as our video shows.

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The bench has become a hit on Twitter, with user Marc Webber inviting Bridgend council to "take a bow" for the work.

Others commenting have described it has "madness" and "sheer stupidity", while some have found it so unbelievable they've questioned whether the picture is fake (it's not).

Local Victoria Britton said: “Following the closure of the Rest Bay coastal path for repairs, this incredible sight greeted me when I took a stroll there yesterday. Is it part of Porthcawl’s new and improved sea defences? Incredible.”

Deputy Mayor of Porthcawl, Sean Aspey, joked: “It’s nice to have a bench but the only thing is, how to find a way to sit on it."

He added: “I’m sure and I’m hoping that it isn’t finished yet. It would be beyond belief to leave that there as the end product."

Bridgend council said the combination of bench and fence was not the end product.

A spokesperson said: “The entire stretch of the coastal path between Rest Bay and Pink Bay is currently closed to the public after it was severely damaged by the storms earlier this year. Huge chunks of the path were ripped apart, while others were weakened, and signs are in place warning the public not to walk on the path as areas of it aren’t safe. The gate is also locked at the Porthcawl end of the path”

“However, as the path can be accessed from the beach, some people are still walking up on to the path. The positioning of this safety rail obviously looks unusual, but it was to try and stop people from sitting on the bench, and walking in front of it too, as this is an area of the path that is particularly unstable and likely to collapse, causing further damage.

“As some people are still walking on the path even though it is closed, we will either remove or relocate the bench to a more stable area until work can begin on repairing and reopening the path.

“We would like to reiterate that the coastal path should not be used until funding can be secured for it to be repaired.”