News

Welsh Water fined £1.35m for widespread sewage permit breaches

Published

1 year ago

May 15, 2025

Welsh Water fined £1.35m for widespread sewage permit breaches

DŴR CYMRU Welsh Water has been fined £1.35 million and ordered to pay more than £70,000 in costs after pleading guilty to more than 800 breaches of its environmental permits to discharge sewage.

The breaches, spanning hundreds of sites across Wales and Herefordshire, were identified through the company’s own self-monitoring data submitted to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) for the years 2020 and 2021.

Due to the sheer volume of non-compliances, the breaches were consolidated into 18 charges for the purpose of court proceedings. The company admitted guilt to 15 of these offences at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court on October 16, 2024, and accepted the remaining offences as Taken Into Consideration (TICs) in December.

***A protest is scheduled to take place at Broad Haven on Saturday (Pic: Herald)***

Since 2010, water companies have been required to carry out self-monitoring of effluent discharges from sewage and water treatment works. NRW said it became concerned when the 2020 report from Welsh Water showed a sharp decline in the quality of monitoring data, revealing over 600 breaches at around 300 sites.

In court, Welsh Water blamed internal restructuring, IT scheduling failures, and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic for the deterioration in compliance. Although the situation improved in 2021, further non-compliances were recorded.

NRW said contingency plans should have been in place to prevent such a large-scale failure, regardless of internal changes or external pressures. The regulator was unable to fully assess potential environmental harm due to missing data in 2020, but warned that the cumulative impact of hundreds of breaches could be significant.

Siân Williams, Head of Operations at NRW, said: “This case highlights serious inadequacies in Dŵr Cymru’s systems, which led to widespread breaches of environmental permits. While we understand the challenges presented by the pandemic, the company’s failings were avoidable had proper contingency planning been in place.”

She added that Welsh Water’s environmental performance has steadily declined in recent years. The company was downgraded from a four-star ‘industry leading’ rating in 2020 to two-star ‘requires improvement’ status in both 2022 and 2023.

In 2023, the utility recorded its worst-ever performance, with a rise in major pollution incidents and a fall in the number of incidents it self-reported.

The breaches prosecuted in this case are separate from those included in NRW’s annual Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA) but are part of wider concerns over Welsh Water’s compliance.

Ms Williams said: “The court’s decision follows a complex investigation, and I’d like to thank our regulatory teams for their diligence. We are increasing our compliance monitoring efforts across Wales and will not hesitate to take enforcement action when necessary.”

NRW says it has stepped up audits of Welsh Water’s self-monitoring activities as part of a wider crackdown on poor water quality across Wales.

A Welsh Water spokesperson said: “Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has a strong record of compliance with our monitoring obligations prior to and after the period relevant to this matter.

“A combination of factors impacted our work during 2020-21 that included the COVID 19 pandemic. Despite this we met our monitoring requirements, which involve more than 18,000 tests per year, 98.95% of the time in 2020 and 99.45% in 2021.

“No sites were left unmonitored during this time, but the unique circumstances during 2020/21 caused significant challenges and disruption to our operations.

“There has been no identified environmental harm associated with this case and the monitoring failures represent a very small number of examples in a programme involving tens of thousands of submissions each year. Nonetheless, we recognise that our compliance fell short during 2020/21 and we entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity.

“Welsh Water will continue to work closely with our regulators to ensure that we deliver on our two main priorities, the best possible service to our customers and protecting the environment.”

Charity

Toy Story fans fill charity toy box at Haverfordwest cinema

Published

7 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Donations pour in for SNAP Specialist Play as families embrace Toy Story 5 launch

A TOY STORY-themed charity appeal at a Haverfordwest cinema has got off to a flying start, with families donating toys to support children with additional needs across Pembrokeshire.

The Palace Cinema has teamed up with local charity SNAP Specialist Play to collect new and pre-loved toys during screenings of the newly released Toy Story 5.

The appeal centres around an “Andy’s Toys” donation box, inspired by the beloved Pixar films, which has already been filled by generous filmgoers.

***Toy Story magic: The Palace Cinema foyer has been transformed with themed decorations to celebrate the film’s release***

Cinema manager Hannah Cramp said the response from the community had exceeded expectations.

Families attending opening screenings have arrived carrying bags of toys, with many children keen to share their own treasured items to help others.

The cinema has transformed its foyer into a colourful Toy Story-themed experience, complete with hand-painted decorations, character silhouettes, bunting and famous film slogans including “Reach for the Sky” and “To Infinity and Beyond”.

Many visitors have also embraced the spirit of the occasion by attending in costume as their favourite Toy Story characters.

***Specialist support: SNAP’s sensory facilities help children with additional needs learn and develop through play***

The toys are being donated to SNAP Specialist Play, a charity based within the Child Health Department at Withybush Hospital.

SNAP supports pre-school children with additional and complex needs through specialist play sessions designed to encourage communication, physical development and sensory learning.

Its facilities include sensory rooms, therapeutic play spaces and bespoke equipment used by speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Project manager Cindy Jenkins said the charity was delighted by the partnership and grateful for the generosity shown by local families.

She said every toy donated would be put to good use, either during specialist play sessions, at family events, or through seasonal initiatives such as Christmas gift boxes for children and their siblings.

The appeal will continue until mid-July, with organisers hopeful that even more donations will be received over the coming weeks.

Anyone attending Toy Story 5 at the Palace Cinema is invited to bring along a new or good-quality pre-loved toy to support the appeal.

Cover photo:

Fancy dress fun: Palace Cinema manager Hannah Cramp helping launch the Toy Story charity appeal.

Health

Medicine shortages now ‘most severe on record’, health leaders warn

Published

7 hours ago

June 20, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PATIENTS are facing some of the worst medicine shortages ever seen in the UK, with pharmacists warning the situation now poses a serious risk to safety.

The National Pharmacy Association said shortages affecting commonly used medicines are becoming more frequent, lasting longer, and causing increasing disruption for patients, GP surgeries and pharmacies.

The warning comes as Serious Shortage Protocols for Creon, used by people with pancreatic cancer and cystic fibrosis to help digest food, have been in place since May 2024 and have now been extended until July 10, 2026.

HRT treatment Estradot has also been under a Serious Shortage Protocol since December 2024, with the current extension also running until July 10.

Patients travelling between pharmacies

A survey by the National Pharmacy Association found that 98 per cent of pharmacies had encountered patients who had visited several pharmacies in one day to find a prescription.

It also found that 96 per cent of pharmacies believed the current situation posed a serious risk to patient safety, while 89 per cent said they had been unable to dispense a medicine at least once a day because of supply problems.

Some pharmacy teams have also faced anger and abuse from patients unable to obtain medication.

Olivier Picard, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “Medicine shortages are becoming more frequent, lasting longer and causing increasing disruption for patients.

“These shortages are some of most severe the UK has experienced.

“It is deeply distressing to find patients who have travelled from pharmacy to pharmacy to find the medicines they need without success.”

Calls for urgent taskforce

The NPA is calling on the government to convene an emergency taskforce involving manufacturers, wholesalers, clinicians and pharmacists.

It also wants changes to rules which currently stop pharmacists from making simple substitutions, such as changing a tablet to a capsule or a cream to an ointment, even where a safe alternative is available.

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, President of the Royal College of GPs, said medicine shortages were frustrating for patients, GPs and pharmacists, and added pressure to already stretched services.

She said the College supported pharmacists being able to make limited changes to prescriptions where a medicine is unavailable and a safe alternative exists.

She added: “The most important thing is that patients are able to access the medication they need safely and without delay.”

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Pancreatic Cancer UK have also raised concerns about the impact of shortages of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, including Creon, on people who rely on the medication to digest food, maintain weight and stay well enough for treatment.