Ceredigion Liberal Democrats have slammed Welsh Water bosses and the Welsh Government after more raw sewage was dumped into Ceredigion’s coastline.
An analysis of data provided by the NGO Surfers Against Sewage revealed that sewage discharges and pollution incidents were reordered near a number of Ceredigion’s beaches over the last weekend including: Aberystwyth South, Traeth Gwyn New Quay, Llangrannog, Poppit Sands Beach (downstream of Cardigan) and Aberdyfi (impacting Ynyslas and Borth).
The application ‘Safer Seas and Rivers’ relies on data provided by Welsh Water and Natural Resources Wales, but not all incidents of sewage dumping or pollution are reported.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised Welsh Water bosses who awarded themselves £1,119,000 in executive bonuses in 2021/22 despite continuing to discharge raw sewage into Welsh waterways and failing to fix ageing infrastructure.
The party is calling for a ban on executive bonuses until Welsh Water clears up its act and for the Labour-Plaid Cymru administration in Cardiff Bay to introduce legislation to provide Welsh Water with greater scrutiny and invest in water treatment facilities.
Last autumn Conservative MPs refused to legislate to outlaw the practice of sewage dumping across the UK, however the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) also has the powers to introduce tougher legislation in Wales should the Welsh Government want to.
Commenting Ceredigion Liberal Democrat Leader & Aberaeron County Councillor Liz Evans aid:
“It is disgraceful that water companies can continue to pump raw sewage into Ceredigion’s rivers and seas with no consequences.
“Ceredigion is home to some of the most pristine beaches in the UK and there is a real risk that our tourism industry and our reputation could be damaged if these incidents of sewage pollution continue.
“Not only is it a risk to tourism, but its actually a risk to public health, especially for children who play on local beaches. This isn’t even to mention the threat to local wildlife.
“It will be an absolute scandal if the Labour-Plaid Cymru partnership in Cardiff Bay does not take action urgently to end sewage dumping.”
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