Welsh Water dumped sewage in Pembrokeshire conservation area

A campaign group that aims to shine a spotlight on a Pembrokeshire waterway to protect its importance, has hit out at Welsh Water/Dŵr Cymru for failings at a local pumping station, which has resulted in tens of thousands of cubic metres of untreated waste water, including sewage being dumped in a river last year.
The Cleddau Project, which has been working with local people, groups and organisations since forming, to encourage greater care for waters and habitats in Pembrokeshire, has stated that Welsh Water data has shown that pumps at Picton in Haverfordwest have only been running at 80 per cent capacity from July 2022 to February 2024, meaning that 56,000 cubic metres, which should have been going to a sewage treatment plant, was instead going into a special conservation area of the Western Cleddau.
In an interview with the BBC this week, The Cleddau Project's Ric Cooper said campaigners had investigated the matter, because an overflow pipe at Picton playing fields appeared to be spilling more raw sewage than usual.
The group asked Welsh Water for pump performance data from the nearby pumping station, and according to Mr Cooper, they are supposed to pump at 120 litres a second, but had only been operating at "95 or 96".
“That means 20% of what should have gone for treatment was going straight into the river,” he explained.
“We calculated over 12 months, and it averages out as 17 tankers a day emptying into this river.
“You can imagine the outcry if on 17 occasions, a tanker pulled up and let it all go.”
The Cleddau Project said it found high levels of ammonia in the water and that tests showed sewage was being discharged at levels toxic to fish.
The group also revealed that the matter was reported to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) several times, with the organisation investigation issues in June 2023, almost a year later.
Campaigners said it then took another nine months before the pumps were back up to speed.
MP for South Pembrokeshire, Henry Tufnell said that the matter was ‘simply unacceptable’.
“The scale of untreated sewage spilling into the River Cleddau is simply unacceptable,” he stated.
“Welsh Water’s data shows that 56,000 cubic metres of waste entered this conservation area - equivalent to 17 tanker loads per day.
“The health of our rivers, wildlife, and communities depends on responsible stewardship of our water resources.
“I’ll continue to work with Welsh Water, Natural Resources Wales, and campaign groups to ensure that we prioritise clean water and environmental accountability across Pembrokeshire.”
Welsh Water have apologised for its failings in this matter.
“We know our performance has fallen short of expectations on this occasion and for that we apologise,” said a spokesperson for Welsh Water.
“We have been working with the Cleddau Project, a citizen science group we help to fund, as well as share data and information with as part of our commitment to being transparent about our performance.”
©Video: BBC