Latest news with #DwrCymru
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Residents could finally get better access to train station that's bears village's name
While it bears the name of Dolgarrog - the Conwy Valley station has never really been particularly accessible to people in the village. The station is situated on the opposite side of the Afon Conwy from Dolgarrog with a rough and sometimes boggy track also in the way. This contributed to it serving just 612 passengers in 2017/18 - the lowest of any station in Wales that year. The situation was compounded in 2021 when the pipe bridge over the river closed to the public due to concerns over its condition. There were fears it would never reopen. But a campaign was launched, backed by Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders and others, to get a crossing back. This eventually secured funding of £1.2m from Dwr Cymru and a £735,000 Welsh Government grant for Conwy County Borough Council to restore the bridge. READ MORE: Desperate attempts were made to save campervan swamped by sea at Gwynedd beach READ MORE: When will A55 Conwy Tunnels reopen after devastating fire This was reopened in 2023 and passenger numbers rose to just over 2,000 in 2023/24. But the paths from the village mean it's still not exactly a convenient option for locals or tourists wanting to use the Conwy Valley Line. Now though Conwy council has secured additional Welsh Government active travel funds for improvements to the existing Public Rights of Way, which connects Dolgarrog Railway Station to the B5106. The works are to be undertaken this financial year. The Local Authority is currently working on access agreements with interested landowners and will be aiming to undertake a public engagement exercise soon. Once the access agreements are in place, they will push forward with a procurement and construction phase programme. This would improve the path that emerges near the former Lord Newborough pub on the B5106. There are hopes that more money in the future could develop a link to Clark Street, which comes out in the centre of the village. MS Janet Finch-Saunders said: "Since the horrendous decision by Welsh Water to permanently close Dolgarrog Bridge, I have been pleased to lead the group of stakeholders who have succeeded to convince the water company to make a massive U-turn, and secure a £1.9m investment. 'As part of that stakeholder group it was a pleasure to work with representatives of both Dolgarrog Community Council and Conwy County Borough Council. By working together we have delivered for our community. "In fact, I have kept up the pressure and am delighted that funding has been secured to build an active travel route between Dolgarrog and the railway station this financial year. A special thanks goes to the Local Authority officials who submitted the application and are working on the plans going forward. 'Whilst my understanding is that this phase of the development will see the route reach Dolgarrog by the old Lord Newborough pub, there remains and ambition to develop a route along Clark Street in the future, but that would require further funding. 'The most import point of all is that the bridge, which following our united community campaign, Welsh Water has thankfully invested significantly in, will now have high standard accessible paths leading to it. This is excellent news." Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Welsh Water fined £1.3m for 'negligent' monitoring
Welsh Water has been fined £1.35m for failing to properly monitor water quality at 300 different sites. The company pleaded guilty to 15 charges relating to more than 800 offences in 2020 and 2021. It blamed the failures on a reorganisation and the implementation of a new system at the same time as the Covid pandemic. District judge Gwyn Jones concluded the company had been negligent and had "no doubt caused significant embarrassment to all those dedicated personnel in Dwr Cymru". Since 2010 there has been a requirement on water companies to carry out self-monitoring of discharges from their sewage works and water treatment works, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said in a statement after the ruling. "Upon receiving its 2020 annual report, NRW officers were alarmed to find that the quality of the information provided had noticeably deteriorated compared to previous years, with over 600 breaches recorded. "These were spread across some 300 sites across Wales and Herefordshire," it said. It added that "contingency plans should have been in place to ensure the company met their legal duty to comply with their permits while going through the restructure". Welsh Water has also been ordered to pay just over £70,000 in costs after pleading guilty, NRW said. Sewage leaks catastrophic, say campaigners Underperforming Welsh Water ordered to pay £24m Welsh Water bills to rise annually for five years
BBC News
15-05-2025
- BBC News
Welsh Water fined £1.35m for 'negligent' monitoring
Welsh Water has been fined £1.35m for failing to properly to monitor water quality at 300 different company pleaded guilty at to 15 charges relating to more than 800 offences in 2020 and blamed the failures on a reorganisation and the implementation of a new system at the same time as the Covid judge Gwyn Jones concluded the company had been negligent and had "no doubt caused significant embarrassment to all those dedicated personnel in Dwr Cymru".
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘My husband went surfing and had to take three days off work' - Over half of Brits scared to become unwell from UK waters
Less than one in five adults believe they will be able to swim safely in UK waters by 2030 without risking their health, as over half of Britons worry that sewage pollution will lead to illness. A recent poll of 2,000 people conducted by Surfers Against Sewage revealed that only 21 per cent trusted the government to ensure water suppliers reduce sewage spills, with over half a million discharges into our seas, lakes and rivers in 2024. An avid swimmer, Kate Jones has become unwell on several occasions after swimming off the coast of Pembrokeshire, with her husband recently sick after a morning surf shortly after sewage had been dumped. 'I've been caught a couple of times and am incredibly passionate about this issue. Sometimes on my day off I meet people for a swim and there's been several occasions where there has been brown scum along the shoreline, pretty much every time it rains. 'I've had it twice where I've become unwell after swallowing a gobful of water. My husband went out surfing last week when there was a sewage overflow at the local school, and he ended up off work for three days. I was also sick last week with my daughter.' In Wales, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water was responsible for 118,276 sewage discharges, an average of more than one sewage spill every five minutes. As a result, she and a group of other volunteers are participating in SAS annual Paddle Out on Saturday 17 May at Broad Haven Beach, which sees thousands of people take to the UK's beaches to protest against the ongoing sewage crisis. It's held at the beginning of the UK's official bathing season which runs until September, and encourages people to make use of designated protected blue spaces. However, during this period in 2024, there were 8,704 sewage discharges in England during the bathing season, an average of more than 60 a day. Stuart Davies, an organiser of the Brighton Pier Paddle-Out Protest said: 'We are paddling out because we seem to be in the same place each year. We see record levels of sewage pollution in our blue spaces, especially here on the south coast. 'Many a time, I have been personally affected. I can't go sea swimming. I can't go surfing. I also volunteer for the Wave Project which provides surf therapy for young people. That's been cancelled a few times, and we couldn't go in the water. It makes me extremely angry. We are paddling out in protest of the scandal and to call for total reform of the water industry.' It was revealed last month that sewage was discharged over half a million times into UK waters in 2024, for around 4.7 million hours. Instead of achieving a 40 per cent reduction, English water companies failed on their Environment Agency targets to reduce sewage pollution incidents, which increased by 30 per cent. SAS received 1,853 sickness reports through its service app in 2024, with 331 people having to see a doctor and 79 per cent reporting that medical professionals had attributed their illness to sewage pollution. Hundreds were diagnosed with gastroenteritis, chest infections and serious bacterial infections, with some having to be hospitalised. Giles Bristow, CEO at Surfers Against Sewage said: 'Another year, another summer of swimming and surfing in sewage while our shameless water companies laugh all the way to the bank. The public has simply had enough and will be paddling out in their thousands to send a clear message to government and the polluters: end this sewage scandal now! 'Our failing water industry has been trumpeting billions in investment to clean up their act, but we know that these fat cat bosses can't be trusted to keep their promises. 'The proof is in the missed targets, shocking statistics and devastating stories of sickness we continue to see year after year. We've had enough of their lies, greed and incompetence and know that this nightmare will not end until the whole water system is radically reformed. 'The thousands paddling out across the UK are letting the water companies, government and Independent Water Commission know, loud and clear, that we will not accept another year of risking our health to swim in the sea. 'People should be free to use the water without fear of getting sick, and that's why we developed the Safer Seas & Rivers Service, a free app that provides real-time pollution alerts, giving peace of mind for those worried about sewage pollution.' To join a Paddle Out protest, the largest events are taking place in Brighton, Bournemouth, Gyllyngvase Beach in Falmouth, as well as Broad Haven Beach in Wales, Dunbar in Scotland and Portrush in Northern Ireland.
South Wales Argus
25-04-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Newport: Plans to convert former nursery into flats approved
The upper floors of the building on Commercial Street, Newport, will be transformed into two two-bedroom flats, with a planning application being granted with conditions. The site, which has previously been used as both a restaurant and a nursery, received approval for this new use on April 4. The site is located in the city centre, and the plans include internal waste storage and cycle storage for five bicycles. The conversion will see the first and second floors of the building transformed, with each flat offering 71.3 square metres of space, exceeding the minimum requirement of 58 square metres. The application, submitted by Cerda Planning Ltd, received no objections from consulted neighbours, the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust, Dwr Cymru, the council's waste manager, or the Sustainable Drainage Approval Body. The council's conservation officer also raised no objections, citing no heritage impact, while the highways department had no objection but required cycle storage plans and supported no on-site parking due to the "sustainable city centre location." However, this approval is contingent on a Section 106 legal agreement. If this is not signed within three months of the resolution, the delegated authority may refuse the application. The Section 106 includes a £2,436 commuted sum for an off-site affordable housing contribution. The flats, which have no outdoor amenity space, justify this due to their city centre context. The environmental health department has requested a construction environmental management plan covering dust, noise, hours of work, and lighting, alongside an internal sound insulation plan. A waste and recycling provision plan and a potential assessment if air source heat pumps are used, have also been requested. This approved proposal is a scaled-back version of a previously refused plan to convert the site into five flats. The earlier proposal was rejected due to concerns about a lack of natural light, privacy issues, and the absence of a legal agreement. The new plan has been supported by a light assessment from Anstey Horne, demonstrating sufficient daylight and sunlight. The site is recognised as a sustainable brownfield location, aligning with local policies.
