Community

Welsh Water investment to support customers and environmental improvements

Published

2 years ago

November 13, 2022

CUSTOMERS and the environment are set to benefit from major initiatives by Welsh Water, made possible by its not-for-profit business model.

As cost-of-living pressure increases and with its focus on reducing any adverse impact on the environment, the company is taking steps to take full advantage of its unique operating model to support its household customers and the environment.

Welsh Water, which already provides financial support to a larger number of customers, proportionate to the company’s size, than any other water company in England and Wales, has confirmed that it will:

maintain its range of support measures to help customers manage their bills such as payment holidays, flexible payment plans, and advice on simple ways to reduce water use
invest £12million to expand the financial support to an extra 50,000 households either through its “social tariffs” scheme or a new community fund
launch a pilot of the community fund in January 2023 to target customers who are struggling with household bills but are ineligible for benefits and, therefore, Welsh Water’s social tariffs.
The role that the company plays in protecting river water quality has come under increased focus over the past year, with Welsh Water already investing heavily to reduce its phosphate contribution to rivers. The company has already committed to investing £833 million to improve its wastewater assets, particularly Combined Storm Overflows (CSOs), on sensitive rivers between 2020 and 2025 and has also announced an additional £100 million investment to help protect river water quality.

This further investment allows the company to accelerate plans to install more phosphate removal plants at wastewater treatment works (£60 million) and to reduce the impact of CSOs – particularly those which are located along Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) rivers (£40 million). This will mean investing in its key assets at sites such as the Menai Strait (£10 million), Brecon
(£6 million), Monmouth (£2 million) Trebanos (£2 million) as well as Llanybydder, Lampeter, Wolfscastle, Corwen, Llanfoist and Letterston (£20 million). It will also enable more nature-based solutions to be developed to help improve river quality. On, for example, the river Wye the company is working with the Wye & Usk Foundation and Hereford Council to support additional phosphorus removal using natural treatment through a low carbon wetland system which will also enhance local biodiversity.

Cllr Liz Harvey, Deputy Leader of Herefordshire Council said: “The close collaborative working with Welsh Water and the Wye and Usk Foundation is slowly getting housebuilding in the county moving again and making a contribution to improving our rivers too.”

This announcement of funding to support vulnerable customers and protect the environment comes as the company reports on its half year results. Despite the wider challenges facing the economy, the company has maintained a strong performance. This has included continuing to invest just over £1 million per day on improvements to its water and wastewater networks.

The company has also confirmed that it is working on a scheme to support its employees through the cost-of-living crisis and has already implemented the increase to the Real Living Wage for all affected employees.

Glas Cymru Chairman, Alastair Lyons, said: “Our non-shareholder business model sets us apart from the other water companies in England & Wales and it is important that we demonstrate how it provides tangible benefit to our customers. I am, therefore, very pleased that not needing to reward shareholders makes it possible for us to announce this additional investment to benefit our customers and the environment. This builds on the millions of pounds our model has already allowed us to invest to help keep bills affordable for customers and deliver essential investment schemes to improve services for customers and mitigate the impact of our operations on the environment”.

Welsh Water Chief Executive, Peter Perry, said: “The current financial crisis is understandably a worrying time and will mean that more customers will find themselves in a situation where they struggle to pay their bills. With the goal of earning the trust of our customers, we know that we have an important role to play here which is why we are going to be supporting even more customers in this time of need. Our advice to customers is to contact us the moment the bill becomes a worry so that we can look how we can provide support to alleviate this concern.

“Equally as important is that we redouble our efforts to protect the environment, particularly river water quality. With expectations changing, more needs to be done, especially to reduce the impact of CSOs. Removing them from our sewerage system altogether is not an option but what is in our control is the ability to target investment at those CSOs which have the biggest impact so that we can improve their performance and river water quality. The extra £100 million will enable us to bring forward investment schemes to help achieve this and will build on the £833 million we are already investing in our wastewater network through to 2025.”

Community

Drop in sessions to help reshape Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Published

1 day ago

January 24, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) is pleased to announce the launch of a series of community drop-in sessions designed to gather feedback from residents and stakeholders. This initiative aims to identify issues and challenges that may impact the delivery of the Community Risk Management Plan 2040 (CRMP 2040).

The CRMP 2040 outlines the Service’s commitment to addressing risks, threats, and challenges faced by communities. These drop-in sessions provide an opportunity for residents to help shape the future of fire and rescue services in Mid and West Wales, ensuring safety and well-being remain a priority.

Shaping the future together

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Iwan Cray said: “We believe the best way to serve our communities is by involving them in the planning process. These drop-in sessions are an opportunity for us to listen, learn, and collaborate with the people we serve.”

The drop-in sessions, details of which are available on the MAWWFRS website, offer a platform for open dialogue. Residents can share their insights, concerns, and suggestions, contributing to the development of a modern Fire and Rescue Service tailored to their needs.

A data-driven approach

The CRMP 2040 adopts a data-driven approach, focusing on prevention, protection, and response to reduce emergencies’ impact and enhance public safety. By tailoring services to community needs, MAWWFRS is committed to building safer and more resilient communities.

Get involved

Community members are encouraged to attend these sessions and provide their feedback. To thank participants, MAWWFRS is offering a chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher. To enter, simply attend a session and complete the survey.

For more information about the plan or the upcoming drop-in sessions, visit the MAWWFRS website or contact the team at [email protected].

About MAWWFRS

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is dedicated to protecting and serving the communities of Mid and West Wales. Through prevention, protection, and response, the Service works tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents and visitors.

Community

Landfill odour sparks calls for inquiry and legal action

Published

2 days ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENTS near Withyhedge landfill in Haverfordwest are demanding a public inquiry and considering legal action after foul odours returned just weeks after the site reopened on 6 January.

The landfill, closed last May to address odour issues, was declared fit to reopen by operator RML, which claimed its improvements would protect nearby communities. However, Colin Barnett, of campaign group Stop the Stink, said: “People in Crundale, Haverfordwest, and Spittal are being subjected to horrendous smells again.”

Describing the site as a “stink bomb on steroids,” Barnett supported Conservative MS Paul Davies’ calls for a public inquiry. “We’ve been flanneled by NRW, public health, and Pembrokeshire council. It’s disgraceful,” he said, adding that delays in resolving the issue had left litigation as the only option.

RML, part of Dauson Environmental Group, is owned by businessman David Neal, who has previous convictions for environmental crimes in 2013 and 2017. Last year, another of Neal’s companies pleaded guilty to environmental offences.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) reported receiving 34 complaints since 6 January, with a rise in recent days coinciding with the end of a slurry-spreading ban. However, NRW stated no odours attributable to the landfill were detected and plans to inspect the site with Pembrokeshire council on 29 January.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “I’ll keep a very close eye on this, and if concerns persist, we’ll discuss further steps with NRW.”

RML and the Welsh Government declined to comment.

Community

Public transport users urged to ‘check before travelling’ due to storm

Published

2 days ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

TRANSPORT FOR WALES and Network Rail are urging all customers to check before they travel on Friday morning and into the weekend with weather warnings in place across the country.

With Storm Eowyn set to hit Wales and winds reaching 90mph on Friday morning, customers should expect disruptions and are strongly urged to check before they travel.

There will be alterations to rail services, replacement road transport on certain routes and blanket speed restrictions at some locations, meaning journeys could take longer than usual.

Stand by buses are being planned at key locations around the network in preparation for travel disruption.

Across Wales and the Borders, Network Rail have positioned response teams to address any storm related problems to keep disruption to a minimum.

TfW Operations Director Sarah Higgins said: “It’s so important for our customers to plan ahead when looking to travel this Friday.

“While we’ve made a number of changes to our services based on detailed forecasts, storms can still be unpredictable.

“We’ve seen the impact storms can have, with damage to trains and infrastructure sometimes taking weeks or months to repair, so our cross-industry approach will hopefully limit that and keep our colleagues and customers safe. We apologise to customers for any disruption to their journeys as a result.”

Network Rail Wales & Borders Operations Director Rachel Heath added: “Our priority is always keeping safe everyone who travels and works on the railway.

“Unfortunately, there will be some delays and cancellations on Friday, as trains will not run on some lines and there will speed restrictions on other parts of the route.

“We are working closely with our train operator colleagues to ensure we can safely reopen affected lines as quickly as possible and urge passengers to check before they travel.”

Rail service changes:

No services to run on the Conwy Valley Line all day, with replacement road transport in place.
No services to run on the Heart of Wales line all day, with replacement road transport in place.
Speed restrictions at various locations around the network, meaning some journeys will take longer than usual. These include:

  50mph speed restrictions imposed from 0200 to 1500 Friday on the North Wales Coast – Bodorgan to Llandudno Junction.
  50mph restrictions from 0200 to 1200 between Carmarthen to Kidwelly.
  50mph restrictions from 0200 to 1200 between Neath and Swansea.
  50mph restrictions from 0100 – 0800 between Newport and Llanwern.

Customers who have connecting tickets for the following operators who have suspended services due to the adverse weather conditions, we’ll honour tickets dated 24 January on either Thursday 23 January or up to and including Tuesday 28 January.