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Investigations under way after pollution kills steam life at West Wales Woods

The polluted stream at West Wales Woods, near Carmarthen (Pic: Anna Green)

POLLUTION has killed aquatic life in a stream which runs through a community garden and orchard in Carmarthenshire, the site’s joint owner has claimed.

Anna Green said the smell of the effluent which leached into the stream was unbearable. She suspects it contained human waste and has arranged her own sampling. She also contacted environment regulator Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Carmarthenshire Council, which are investigating.

The community woodland, orchard and garden, called West Wales Woods, hosts various groups and members of the public. It was set up in 2017. The one-and-a-half acre site in Idole, near Carmarthen, is owned by Ms Green and a friend of hers.

An area of West Wales Woods – a community woodland, orchard and garden near Carmarthen (Pic: Anna Green)

She claimed the stream has been affected by slurry run-off in the past but that it tended to wash through quite quickly. She said effluent began discolouring the stream at the start of November during a dry spell of weather and continued for up to two weeks, and that the smell was a lot worse than in the past.

“It absolutely stank, it was awful,” she said. “It was really depressing. People who came here said, ‘It’s really bad.’ The stream is an important secondary water source because we’ve got a couple of pigs and rescued battery hens.”

She added: “We really encourage biodiversity. We get owls, woodpeckers, bats. It’s just really worrying. We put water out for the birds.”

Asked about the impact on the aquatic life in the stream, she said everything appeared to have died. She added: “There was no sign of life next it.” Ms Green, a retired health services commissioner, said the pollution has now washed downstream.

In response to the concerns raised, NRW said its officers have taken water samples and were investigating. Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, Carmarthenshire’s cabinet member for climate change, decarbonisation and sustainability, said the council had also taken water samples. He said: “The council is aware of the issue and are investigating the matter. We have recently identified a potential source and will be taking necessary action in due course.”

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