Feargal Sharkey backs Carmarthen spill after burst rising main, 0300 065 3000

feargal sharkey is reacting to a sewage spill in the River Towy after Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water said a burst rising main at its pumping station affected the Pensarn area of Carmarthen. Coracle men found sewage and toilet paper near the town centre on Saturday, May 2, after reports that waste had been pouring into the river for at least seven days.

River Towy sewage in Carmarthen

Julie Rees said, "The coracles were paddling through this and the stench was awful," after the spill was spotted in the early hours of Saturday, May 2. Malcolm Rees said, "The smell was putrid as you can imagine."

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water said, "We have identified that a burst rising main at our pumping station has affected the River Towy in the Pensarn area of Carmarthen." It added, "As soon as the issue was identified, the pipe was isolated and tankers were deployed to manage flows while our teams carried out urgent repairs."

Coracle men spotted the spill

Coracle men were paddling in the early hours when they saw lumps of raw sewage and toilet paper in the marshes and residue swirling in the river in the centre of town. Malcolm Rees said there was no solid matter in the water because it had been spread about and retained in the marsh, and he said, "Had the coracles not been there this sewage would still be happening. We are custodians of the river."

On Sunday, May 3, the outpour of sewage was stopped, and on Monday morning, May 4, the operator said initial checks had identified a fault with equipment. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water said, "While repair work was carried out, waste was removed by tanker to minimise any further impact," and, "The repair has now been completed and a return visit will be made to monitor the situation."

Monitoring after the repair

The clean-up response depended on tankers because crews had to move waste away while the pipe was isolated, which kept pressure on the system low enough for urgent repairs to finish. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water also said pollution incidents should be reported to NRW via its 24-hour incident line on 0300 065 3000 or online, and thanked those who reported the incident.