Latest news with #WelshWater
South Wales Argus
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- South Wales Argus
Parc Road, Llangybi, to close for Welsh Water works in July
Parc Road in Llangybi will have restrictions as Monmouthshire County Council enforces a temporary traffic regulation notice. The closure is to enable Welsh Water to carry out essential works safely. The closure will take effect on Monday, July 7, and is expected to last until Wednesday, July 9. However, the order will be in place for up to 18 months, allowing time for any potential delays. The affected section of Parc Road spans approximately 440 metres from its junction with Cochyn. During this period, properties fronting the affected lengths of road will still have reasonable access. A diversion route will be in place, taking traffic via the R106 Cwrt Bleddyn Hotel to Dowlais Brook, the R106 Dowlais Brook to Woodside Trading Estate, the R102 Oak Ridge to Llanbadoc, and the R102 Parc Road to Oak Ridge. The route will be clearly signposted to assist drivers in navigating the area. Motorists are advised to plan their journeys accordingly to avoid any disruption. Monmouthshire County Council has issued a reminder that under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, anyone contravening a restriction or prohibition imposed under Section 14 of the Act will be guilty of an offence. The notice is dated June 25. Welsh Water has assured residents that the works are essential and will be carried out as swiftly as possible to minimise disruption. Further updates will be provided as the works progress.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- General
- South Wales Argus
Magor and Pontypool fouled by water company
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, pleaded guilty to two offences of knowingly permitting the discharge of poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into inland fresh water. The offences involved raw sewage and took place over one day in Pontnewynydd, Pontypool and over a 12 month period, in Magor. Welsh Water, the not-for-profit utility, allowed sewage to leak into a sensitive area on the Gwent Levels at Magor and at a brook in Herbert's Wood, north of Pontypool. The brook is a tributary of the Afon Lwydd, a river that flows through major population centres before entering the Severn Estuary. Newport magistrates heard that Welsh Water allowed a broken sewer line to discharge raw sewage into a reen and salt marsh near Magor, over a whole year. Natural Resources Wales had to take enforcement action at the sensitive site, the court heard. Welsh Water had repeatedly failed to repair essential plant and effectively manage the site. The offences occurred between January 2023 and January 2024, the court was instructed. The Magor area contains a delicate salt marsh environment and has several areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Furthermore, the wider area has a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA). Welsh Water was fined £90,000 for the Gwent levels incidents and £160,000 for the Pontnewynydd incident, which was caused by a spillage from a foul sewer chamber in February 2023. They were also ordered to pay more than £18,000 in costs. Welsh Water had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges. Of the damage in Pontnewynydd, Natural Resources Wales said sewage was visible over ground and throughout approximately 400m of the tributary. Speaking of the Magor incidents, they said: 'For over a year, our officers recorded a pattern of recurring sewage pollution incidents in the same area, impacting a highly protected habitat which is rich in plants and wildlife, including a saltmarsh. 'Time and again we were assured that necessary repairs had been made, yet the pollution persisted. 'As well as causing considerable harm to the local environment, we found Welsh Water's response to the incidents to be inadequate. Communication was at times poor, and there were unnecessary delays to their incident response procedures such as pumping and tankering away the pollution, which could have lessened impact."
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- South Wales Argus
LLandegfedd reservoir conditions to be decided by council
Elizabeth Pengelly has asked for permission to use the 'empty residential land' for tourism with camping or glamping as well as build washing facilities for those staying and upgrade a shelter currently used for the South American animals. Two shepherd huts are already on site at Parc Llettis Road, Hardwick, between Abergavenny and Raglan, while a further two would be added as well as four bell tents. More than five objections have been lodged against the plan but Monmouthsire councillors are recommended to approve it. The committee is also also being advised by planning officers to approve revised conditions governing the use of the Watersport Centre at Llandegfedd Reservoir. The revised wording has been agreed with Welsh Water but local residents have objected and councillors requested a decision be made by the committee. The water firm wants to be able to use the centre for internal meetings, staff training, and external business meetings but the condition will state it won't be available as a licensed premises for use by the general public. Operating hours will also be extended by one hour in the morning, so it can be used from 8am. Monmouthshire County Council's planning committee meets at 2pm on Tuesday, July 1 when it will also consider a patio built on agricultural land without the correct planning permission. The retrospective application, from Gavin Gerrish, to keep the patio and a retaining wall, and to allow the change of use from agricultural to residential curtilage for 360 square metres of land at his Ty'r Berllan home at Llangwm is going before councillors due to the number of objections received. Permission was previously granted for the patio and retaining wall but they weren't built to the approved plans.
Wales Online
5 days ago
- Wales Online
Beauty spot polluted with raw sewage as pipe bursts
Beauty spot polluted with raw sewage as pipe bursts Welsh Water has been fined after the regulator found clear evidence of toxic waste having been discharged into watercourses at the Gwent Levels Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has been fined nearly £270,000 for multiple separate sewage spills including in the Gwent Levels site of special scientific interest (SSSI) (Image: John Myers ) Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has been fined nearly £270,000 for multiple separate sewage spills including in the Gwent Levels site of special scientific interest (SSSI). At a sentencing hearing at Newport Magistrates' Court on Monday Judge Sophie Toms told the company it did not do enough to mitigate potential pollution discharges caused by a failing sewage pipework system which led to land at Magor being polluted by untreated waste water. Jon Tarrant, prosecuting on behalf of the regulator Natural Resources Wales (NRW), told the court how separate incidents near Magor in Monmouthshire had occurred in 2023 and 2024. In January 2023 officers from NRW arrived at the scene of a suspected sewage pollution incident at a watercourse known as back ditch which neighbours the sea wall which runs south of the Monmouthshire village. Mr Tarrant explained how when the officers arrived at the site they noticed a strong smell of sewage and witnessed a steady flow of waste entering the watercourse. It transpired the southeast coast sewer line pipework, which runs from Monmouthshire to Newport and has been in place since the turn of the century, had corroded to such an extent it had ruptured causing the discharge. The court heard this had become a regular occurrence and Welsh Water does not have the necessary funds to remedy the issue properly by replacing the sewer line, although Judge Toms did not accept Welsh Water had done all it could to mitigate potential leaks from the pipework. Sewage could be seen bubbling through the surface of the ground in two locations and the ruptured pipe had caused a large section of the bank to collapse allowing a significant volume of sewage water to enter the reen. The court heard how to that point Welsh Water had made no efforts to contain the discharge of waste into the reen and no tankers were on site removing polluted effluent. Article continues below The collapsed bank caused by a sewage burst at the back ditch near Magor, Monmouthshire (Image: Natural Resources Wales ) Samples were collected by NRW officers to assess the extent of the environmental impact. Analysis of those samples showed ammonia levels at 24.6 mg per litre. The trigger level – the level set to ensure no detrimental impact on the watercourse – for ammonia discharging into a SSSI is 1.1mg per litre. Solid waste was also apparent. The court heard how NRW were called to another pollution incident at the same location in March 2023 when a significant amount of the bank had eroded and fallen into the ditch. There was also significant discolouration and siltation visible downstream as well as a prominent odour of sewage. Discolouration could be seen clearly for around 300m downstream and sewage fungus and odour were detected. On that occasion Welsh Water operatives explained that the pipe had again ruptured and they had replaced the part which had corroded. In May 2023 it happened again, causing another significant sewage spill in the same area on the levels. On that occasion Welsh Water confirmed another burst on a rising main coming from the Magor main sewage pumping station. Flooding from the burst was running to the ditch at the side of the road which was then running to Whitewall reen. In January 2024 another incident occurred at the back ditch location where sewage was bubbling through the ground and was flowing into the reen. Mathern, Hungerpill, and Caldicot pumping stations had been cut off to prevent the flow of sewage continuing along the south east coast sewer line towards the section of burst pipe at Magor. During the investigation of that incident an NRW officer witnessed untreated sewage being deliberately pumped onto the salt marsh via a water pump. The salt marsh land is an ecologically-important habitat for wildlife at the Levels. The deliberate pumping of untreated waste onto the marsh was clearly evident as the tide was out. The pumping of sewage directly onto the salt marsh, evidenced in pictures taken at the time, had not been legally permitted. Sewage pumped onto saltmarsh land near Magor, Monmouthshire, on the Gwent Levels which is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) (Image: Natural Resources Wales ) Welsh Water pleaded guilty to four charges of causing a water discharge activity of a poisonous, noxious, or polluting matter into an inland freshwater. In all of the incidents no signs were present informing members of the public of potential toxic waste in the area and the watercourse, no reports had been made regarding efforts taken to mitigate the issues, and there was no log present showing the amount of pollution discharged into the watercourses, the court heard. The court heard the incidents were not isolated. Welsh Water has 26 previous convictions for 37 offences of a similar nature, in part owing to a failing sewerage system. Richard Kimblin, for Welsh Water, argued the company had recorded annual losses in recent years and was in a financially impossible position to deal with the issue to prevent further discharge leaks and it was likely further incidents would occur. 'We could be here again next week,' he said. 'It's about having the money to put into the infrastructure.' Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . He explained that the company's budget to deal with leaks of this nature is around £40m a year and that the only proper solution to the continued corrosion of the sewerage pipework is to completely replace the whole sewer line which would cost around £80m – something he said the company cannot afford. Welsh Water expects to receive the funding to replace the whole sewer line by 2030. The hearing also dealt with a separate pollution incident which occurred in the Afon Llwyd at Herbert's Wood in Pontypool in February 2023. Walkers in the area had reported sewage effluent entering the tributary for more than a week. One said a dog had become sick after entering the water and required emergency veterinary care. Initially Welsh Water had given an inaccurate grid reference for the incident before NRW officers discovered the tributary thick with fungus and what appeared to be sewage sludge. NRW located the source around 400m upstream to a spillage from a foul sewer chamber. Welsh Water reported that the spillage had been caused by a blocked pipe due to tree root ingress. It was evident the sewage had spilled over ground and via several pathways and entered the watercourse. The impact was visible for at least 400m until the confluence with the Afon Lwyd. Welsh Water had previously stated that it was not possible to collect samples at the point of discharge due to a steep drop at the river bank but NRW officers succeeded in collecting samples while on site. Subsequent biology surveys, samples, photographs, and video footage confirmed that the pollution had caused significant damage to the local environment including evidence of several dead species in the water. Sewage fungus at the Afon Llwyd tributary at Herbert's Wood, Pontypool (Image: Natural Resources Wales ) Mr Kimblin said Welsh Water remedied the situation by constructing a bypass sewer line at a very high cost. He argued that the extent of harm was 'limited and self-repairing'. Judge Toms said: 'It's obvious in my view more must be done to protect the levels. It's critical plans are adhered to and acted upon. There are previous incidents of failures, there are previous convictions, and there have been failures to fully mitigate the spillages.' Judge Toms said while the incidents at Magor had been responded to swiftly by Welsh Water the Pontypool incident clearly involved neglect and had not been mitigated as quickly or practicably as possible. Welsh Water was fined a total of £268,320.77 which the company must pay within 28 days. Following sentencing John Rock, NRW operations manager for southeast Wales, said: 'For over a year our officers recorded a pattern of recurring sewage pollution incidents in the same area impacting a highly protected habitat which is rich in plants and wildlife including salt marsh. Time and again we were assured that the necessary repairs had been made yet the pollution persisted. 'As well as causing considerable harm to the local environment we found Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water's response to the incidents to be inadequate. Communication was at times poor and there were unnecessary delays to their incident response procedures such as pumping and tankering away the pollution which could have lessened the impact. 'While the fine handed down by the court today reflects the severity of the incidents we are disappointed that it has led to this – that stronger action wasn't taken to prevent the recurrence of these incidents in such a sensitive environment. We will always push for early intervention and the prevention of environmental harm before prosecution.' A spokesman for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water responded: "We pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to the charges which relate to two issues. At Herbert's Wood, Pontypool, the incident occurred because of the damage to our sewer pipe caused by root ingress. Article continues below "We manage a vast sewage network that spans over 36,000km of sewers and regrettably unexpected issues such as this can arise and it's not possible to foresee them all. The repair was hindered as we had to work around a vast wooded area and the need to preserve the trees. This meant the sewer had to be diverted, prolonging the incident. "The second issue was on the southeast coastal sewer. We have been experiencing repeat issues with this sewer in recent years with the only viable solution being to replace it. However the estimated cost of £80m has meant that it has not previously been possible to complete the work within our maintenance budget. "We have now, with support of NRW, secured permission from Ofwat to raise funds to address the issue. Each of the leaks to this main were dealt with promptly to minimise environmental impact. It is important that pollution incidents are responded to quickly and we urge anyone who thinks they have seen sewage pollution to report it online here or via our 24-hour hotline on 0800 085 3968."
Wales Online
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
Date Wales will ban common household product confirmed
Date Wales will ban common household product confirmed The aim is to reduce environmental harm caused by polluting plastic wet wipes Across the UK, wet wipes are flushed down toilets into the sewers (Image: Welsh Water ) Wet wipes containing plastic will be banned in Wales from next year to reduce the environmental harm caused by pollution. From December 18, 2026, it will be an offence in Wales to supply – or offer to supply – wet wipes containing plastic. The Welsh Government has seen through the ban after the Senedd unanimously agreed regulations. Wales' deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies, told the Senedd: "There should be no place for wet wipes amongst the pebbles and the sand and the seaweed on our beautiful Welsh coastline." He said a survey had found 22% of people admitted to having flushed wet wipes into the sewerage system and a large volume of wet wipes – which often contain harmful plastic – enter the natural environment due to inappropriate disposal. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here He stressed an exemption will be in place if they are designed or manufactured for care and treatment because some people rely on medical-grade wet wipes that contain plastic. Plastic wet wipes have been added to a 2023 law prohibiting a list of single-use plastic products. Article continues below Mr Irranca-Davies said: "This pollution, as we all know, is visible, its impact is tangible, and it's long-lasting. "Taking decisive action will encourage manufacturers, retailers and consumers of the need to continue our shift towards reusable and non-plastic products." He told Senedd members the ban will not extend to business-to-business supply, only covering supply to consumers as with other single-use plastics. "Wet wipes for specific industrial use, where plastic-free alternatives are unsuitable or do not exist, are not included. But we will encourage these sectors to innovate." It was backed by Conservative MS Janet Finch-Saunders who said: "It's not often that I say this but thank you very, very much… for bringing forward your statement today and indeed this ban. "I only wish it was coming in December of this year but we have to be grateful." Article continues below Mr Irranca-Davies said the 18-month transition period will allow manufacturers time to adapt their business as he welcomed the cross-party support for the ban. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice
