News
Welsh Water reminds customers to use water wisely
WELSH WATER customers are being asked to continue using water efficiently to help the company maintain water supplies and protect the environment as the current dry spell is set to continue through July and into August.
June was the hottest on record in Wales with only 24% of long term average rainfall during the month. With the heatwave now set to continue and only limited rainfall predicted over the next few weeks, WelshWater is working closely with water watchdog Consumer Council for Water and Natural Resources Wales to remind customers that using water wisely will not only help protect supplies for customers but also help the wider environment. Many of the company’s upland reservoirs are used to release extra water into rivers during these conditions to increase river levels and protect local wildlife.
The company is now spending an extra £1.5 million a week to safeguard water supplies for its three million customers across most of Wales, Herefordshire and Deeside. It has already taken extensive action to prepare for and manage this prolonged dry period including:
- 450 people working 7 days a week to find and fix 140 leaks a day (80 in normal conditions). Whilst leakage has been halved in the last 10 years and is currently at an all-time low, customers are being encouraged to report leaks to Welsh Water as the company will also repair customers’ pipes free of charge if they have a leak;
- deploying 40 tankers to move water around the network and installing temporary pipelines and pumping stations to help keep customers in supply where we have seen huge increases in demand; and
- pumping over 1 billion litres a day into the network over the past 15 days. This is 25% more than usual amount of water put into the network every day.
Customers are being urged to use water wisely:
- Take a break from watering the garden – the lawn will grow back quickly once it starts to rain
- Take a short shower instead of a bath
- Don’t leave the tap running when brushing your teeth
- Always make sure any washing machines and dishwashers are full
Managing Director of Water Services, Ian Christie, said: “The level of water consumption has reached record levels in recent weeks. This is not surprising after the record temperatures in June and the continued lack of any substantial rainfall in July.
“These challenging weather conditions are set to continue, and behind the scenes, we’re working day and night to maintain supplies by finding and fixing leaks, using our integrated pipe network to move water around and also using tankers to feed into our network directly.
“We’d like to thank customers for working with us and urge them to continue reporting any leaks and follow the advice we have issued on how to use water efficiently so that we can help protect water supplies also play our part in safeguarding the local environment.”
Natalie Hall, Water Manager for Natural Resources Wales, said:“We’re responsible for securing the proper use of natural resources in Wales and making sure there is enough water available for all needs including the environment and people.
“We’re seeing some very low flows in our rivers and low rainfall totals across Wales during this prolonged period of dry weather and there are concerns that water quality and the environment will suffer if the dry weather continues through the summer.
“Every drop of water we use is taken from rivers or groundwater, so we are asking people to conserve water as much as they can.
“Saving water is something anyone can do and doing things differently can make a big difference – like having a shower instead of a bath, turning taps off when brushing your teeth, reducing sprinkler use and using water butts.”
Tom Taylor, Wales Chair for the Consumer Council for Water, said:“Customers are much more willing to use water wisely if they can see their water company is going the extra mile to maintain a reliable supply of water, so we’re pleased Welsh Water is taking exactly the sort of action we would expect.”
“With no end in sight to the hot weather, we’d urge people across Wales to keep playing their part by making every drop of water count in the home and garden. Customers can soak up some great tips on our website and Welsh Water’s too – it’s amazing the difference small changes can make.”
Saving water in the GARDEN
· Use a watering can or handheld hose pipe instead of a garden sprinkler · Fit a hose trigger gun when using a hose, available from our Product Portal · Add water retention crystals to pots, tubs and hanging baskets to help keep compost moist, available here on our Product Portal · Don’t cut lawns too short and save the clippings to use as mulch to improve soil health
Saving water in the BATHROOM
· Take a shower and reduce the number of baths you have · Put the plug in the basin when you wash and use the collected water instead · Don’t leave the tap running when brushing your teeth · Always make sure taps are turned off fully · Fix a water efficient showerhead · Fix any leaking taps to avoid wasted water · If you are installing a new bathroom, always choose water efficient products
Saving water in the KITCHEN
· Use a washing up bowl when washing up · Fix any leaking taps · Wait until you have a full load before doing your washing · Only fill the kettle with the water you need · If you are purchasing a new appliance which uses water, be sure to check how waterefficient it is
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Education
Lib Dem leader meets student union after scrapping of teacher training
Last week, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds visited Aberystwyth University to meet students following the announcement that the University will be scrapping their Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) program.
The announcement comes after the publication of an Estyn inspection report last year, which found that the institution had “been too slow” when it came to prioritising student support.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have now called for the University to produce and implement an action plan that will enable the reintroduction of this course at the earliest opportunity, as well as for the Uni to rectify any similar shortcomings in other training programs.
Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:
“Aberystwyth university has long been seen as a cornerstone of education here in Wales, and its role in shaping the future of Welsh-medium education is pivotal.
However, the decision by the Education Workforce Council to withdraw accreditation for their teacher training program now puts this at risk.
The report published by Estyn rightfully identified several flaws in the Uni’s approach to supporting student teachers, along with requiring the University to make significant improvement.
The decision of the EWC suggest that these improvements have not been made.
We are now calling on the University to get their act together, fix the shortcomings in this program and begin plans to reintroduce the course as soon as possible.
Commenting, a spokesperson for the Welsh Young Liberals said: “There was an overwhelming lack of support, especially for Disabled Students, which has been consistent since 2020.
Previous lecturers were always late, and assignments were marked late and inconsistently.
As a joint honours student my timetable is very erratic, and this has an adverse effect on my wellbeing.
This does not however, mean that the course should be cut, Aberystwyth university should be looking to improve the course and help deliver the next generation of teachers.”
Commenting, the Welsh Liberal Democrat PPC for Ceredigion Mark Williams said: “The reputation of Aberystwyth University as a well-respected centre of education is rightfully a source of pride for many residents here in Ceredigion.
This is why it is so dis-heartening to hear that the Uni have failed to take the recommendations in the 2023 Estyn report seriously, leading them into the embarrassing position of losing their accreditation which risks delivering a severe blow to the future of Welsh-medium education.
The lack of foresight from the Uni in this regard is deeply worrying and I hope that, for the sake of both the students and the wider community, they take all the steps needed to restart the course at the earliest opportunity.”
Crime
Manslaughter charge following death in Carmarthenshire
DYFED-POWYS POLICE have confirmed Jason Thomas, 39, from Llanelli, has been charged with manslaughter following an incident on Saturday, March 25.
Police were called to a property in Robinson St, Llanelli to concerns for the welfare of a man.
Liam Rhys Morgan-Whittle, 22, was taken to hospital where he sadly passed away.
Jason Thomas was quickly arrested and later released on conditional bail while the police investigation continued.
He will appear at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 30, it has been confirmed.
News
£10,000 legal row over English-only parking charge notice continues
THE LANGUAGE campaigner Toni Schiavone will appear in court in Aberystwyth for the fourth time on Monday, 13 May over his refusal to pay an English-only parking charge notice, after the parking company One Parking Solution won an appeal to reintroduce the case in January.
This is despite the judge, Gareth Humphreys, warning that the company should carefully consider the value of continuing with a case that has already been “long, beyond unfortunate” and has cost the parking company over £10,000 in legal fees to date.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith have called on the court to rule that English-only parking charge notices are insufficient as ruled by the judge Mervyn Jones-Evans in a recent case in Caernarfon, and on the Welsh Government to legislate to ensure the rights of Welsh speakers in the private sector are respected.
Toni Schiavone received the English-only notice for not paying for parking in a car park in Llangrannog in September 2020.
The original case was thrown out of court in May 2022 because a representative from the parking company was not present, and the second case in August 2023 was also thrown out because the case was presented late and under incorrect rules.
On 26 January this year, One Parking Solution won an appeal enabling them to continue prosecuting Mr Schiavone, after the judge ruled that there were no grounds to throw the first two cases out of court.
Speaking at the hearing in January, Toni Schiavone said he had received a letter with costs of £10,156.70 a the day before from One Parking Solution, and that the company had acted “disrespectfully, unreasonably and vindictively.” According to research by Cymdeithas yr Iaith, translating the notice into Welsh would have cost only £60.
Siân Howys, Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Welsh Language Rights Group said:
“It is disappointing that One Parking Solution have decided to resubmit this case, but the real reason Toni must appear in court yet again is because the rights of people who live in Wales to use the Welsh language are not ensured in statute. We have seen other cases of this recently as HSBC and the energy company OVO have weakened or even abolished their Welsh-medium services, without any serious response from our Government.
“We call on our members and supporters to be present on 13 May to support Toni, and to demand that the right to use the Welsh language in all aspects of life is respected through legislation.”
On 30 January, the Welsh Government voted against Heledd Fychan MS’s motion on behalf of Plaid Cymru in the Senedd to set Welsh Language Standards on a statutory basis for institutions in the private sector, such as banks, supermarkets and private car parks.
During the debate, Siân Gwenllian MS referred to Toni Schiavone’s case as an example of the need to legislate to ensure the rights of Welsh speakers. Discussing the parking company, she said:
“Once again, the response is arrogant and insulting.
“Why must Welsh speakers continue to campaign and demand services through the medium of Welsh?
“It is high time that the basic rights of Welsh speakers were respected through statute, and that in all aspects of life.”
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