A tribute by a Flintshire roadside was painted over in a “knee-jerk” reaction, it is claimed.

Adam Balchder, from Corwen, said he painted ’Cofiwch Dryweryn’ on what he described as derelict blocks alongside the A494 in Deeside.

The words translate to ‘Remember Tryweryn’ and are in tribute to Capel Celyn, a rural village which was controversially flooded by the UK Government in 1965 to create a reservoir to provide water for the city of Liverpool and the Wirral.

The village, submerged beneath a lake in the Tryweryn Valley above Bala, reappeared as water levels fell during a drought last year.

Mr Balchder said that about 20 tributes like the one he painted have been created across Wales since the original Cofiwch Dryweryn mural near Aberystwyth was vandalised – but to his knowledge, Flintshire’s is the only one to have been covered up.

He said: “I found these derelict concrete blocks off the A494. It was a safe place to paint. It wasn’t distracting, there are matrix signs and road signs there, so I painted my own.

“It was up for two hours before highways sent someone to paint over it. If that said ‘Baz loves Jane’ it would still be there now.

“I go on motorways and dual carriageways and often I see trailers parked by side of the road with adverts on, so they can’t say this was a distraction.

“It was a clear message which could have been read in a millisecond. If it was something which required a lot of attention, fine - I could understand. But it wasn’t.

“The wall near Aberystwyth is the original tribute and since it was vandalised there have been 20-odd paintings put up over Wales.

“The only one painted over was mine. Every county has left theirs up, except for Flintshire.

“It was a knee jerk reaction to get rid of it and if they admit it was a mistake, I’ll go back and recreate it.”

Mr Balchder is now calling on any residents or businesses with prominent walls who are willing to share the tribute to come forward, adding: “I'd like the public to look for suitable locations.

“If any businesses have walls in great viewable places, or a gable wall, we can come and recreate it.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “A piece of graffiti was removed from the A494 junction. Any graffiti, slogan or artwork on the public highway deemed to be a distraction will be removed immediately.”