Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water Fined £250,000 for Sewage Pollution Gwent Levels, Afon Llwyd

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has been fined a total of £250,000 following multiple sewage pollution incidents impacting protected environments in Wales. The fines include £90,000 for recurring discharges of raw sewage into the Gwent Levels’ 'back ditch' and salt marsh between January 2023 and January 2024, areas designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and RAMSAR site. Despite repairs to a ruptured sewer pipe, repeated pollution incidents continued, with ammonia levels significantly exceeding environmental thresholds. Additionally, the company was fined £160,000 for a separate pollution event involving sewage spilled into a tributary of the Afon Llwyd in February 2023. Natural Resources Wales criticized the company’s inadequate responses and poor communication during the incidents. Separately, South West Water confirmed a pollution event caused by a third-party delivery led to the death of thousands of fish in the St Austell River in Cornwall, highlighting ongoing water quality challenges for water companies in the UK.