Large pile of waste dumped 'by lorry' in layby beside A494
A huge pile of waste has been dumped in a layby beside the A494. Natural Resources Wales [NRW] is investigating after the pile, which contains plastics, wood and metal, was spotted alongside the road today [Thursday, August 14].
NRW said the waste was "trommel fines" which are the small, fine particles that pass through the rotating cylindrical screen known as a trommel. A trommel screen is used to separate larger materials from smaller ones during the waste sorting and recycling process.
The agency said the "large illegal waste deposit" was spotted today in Llanferres, Denbighshire.
A spokesperson said: "Our initial checks suggest this happened b etween 10pm yesterday (Wed 13 Aug) and 6am today, likely involving a lorry.
"If you have CCTV or dash cam footage from the area, or any information, please get in touch with us. Report incidents 24/7 via our online form or call 0300 065 3000." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. If you have some information you can contact us by following our Twitter feed @northwaleslive - the official North Wales Live account - real news in real time.
Or like facebook.com/northwaleslive/ - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the North Wales Live. Don't forget you can also keep up to date with the latest via the free North Wales Live app. Download it for Apple devices here and Android devices here. North Wales Live has launched a WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
New ANPR parking to tackle 'lawlessness' at iconic Welsh beach and forest
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A new barrierless parking system is to be introduced at a famous Anglesey beach to curb soaring levels of illegal camping. A forest behind Traeth Llanddwyn is said to be at 'significant' risk from camp fires and illicit barbecues. Wardens patrolling the area do their best to move on groups of wild campers despite 'abuse and threats'. BBQs are banned in the area but a fire broke out in Newborough forest last week when campers set light to bone-dry pine needles. The 2,500-acre forest is part of a National Reserve and there are concerns a major fire would devastate local wildlife, including red squirrels. Residents in the nearby village of Newborough claim the forest has become 'lawless' and and worry a runaway blaze would threaten nearby homes. In May, brutal new parking charges were introduced at the reserve, popularised on social media after gaining fame from the TV series House of the Dragon. This was designed to curb visitor numbers and so bring relief to a village often brought to a standstill by vehicles queuing to reach the sandy beach and its iconic island. Now site manager Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is planning to install a new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) parking system later this year. It will operate in a similar fashion to the pay-later barrierless arrangements at Mersey Gateway Bridge and Manchester Airport. Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community This way, NRW will be able to identify vehicles parking up overnight and so allow the environment body to clamp down on wild camping. A barrier will be retained along the exit road – not for payments but to control traffic flows through the village. (Image: Llanddwyn & Forest Support Group) A spokesperson said: 'The new system will provide CCTV which will assist with reporting and investigating anti-social behaviour. It will allow us to monitor and issue fines for those parking overnight in our car parks. 'Overnight camping remains prohibited and during this summer we have increased patrols and responded to a number of call-outs from the public to deal with illegal camping.' Local people have been flagging Llanddwyn's 'selfish and incredibly dangerous' campers for some time, calling for more warden patrols and large on-the-spot fines. Some visitors camp on the beach or in the car park, many string up tents between trees in the forest itself. (Image: Llanddwyn & Forest Support Group) Last year's out-of-control fire wasn't the first this summer. 'If it carries on, we won't have a forest,' said a worried local online. Another added: 'I hate going down first thing in the morning because you see are the entitled campers and I get so angry.' He's not the only one. 'Car park rammed with over-nighters again!' sighed a local this week. 'Lawless Llanddwyn!' Half in jest, some residents have talked of taking action themselves – one idea involved broadcasting loud music in the forest through the night to deter campers. NRW wardens – often locals themselves – risk patrolling the forest at night. It can be hazardous. A resident who spoke to them said: 'I'm sure the rangers would prefer to be at home with their families rather than spending the night in the forest worrying about the forest getting burned down and risking abuse or being assaulted. "Would you want to confront a bunch of pi**ed-up idiots late at night?' Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday (Image: Chloe Anneva) After parking in one of three car parks in the forest, visitors currently pay up to £15 per day at exit barriers at the edge of the reserve. Not only does this system fail to identify overnight stayers, the barrier can malfunction. Occasionally, height barriers designed to deter motorhomes are wrecked by drivers, usually due to complacency rather than malice. NRW is reportedly waiting until the busy summer season is over before installing its new cameras in case of teething problems. Not everyone is convinced they'll make a difference. A resident said not all campers park in the reserve itself, instead picking spots in and around the village itself. Last weekend he said: 'On Saturday evening we saw people walking (into the forest) with camping gear.' It is quite a haul, however. (Image: Llanddwyn & Forest Support Group) For years the main beach car park at Llanddwyn had a designated BBQ area. This summer the facility was closed down and replaced with a picnic area, in line with a wider BBQ ban in the reserve. Local people suspect it's made matters worse, encouraging campers to light BBQs on the beach and in the forest instead. On Thursday (August 14) NRW was forced to issue the latest in a long line of safety messages on social media. These reminded visitors there is now a 'full ban in place for all barbecues and fires following a rise in fire-related incidents'. NRW has yet to set of a date for the barrierless APNR cameras. A spokesperson said: 'The new system will enable users to manage car park payments via an app, as well as handle season tickets and registration for local users. 'Barrierless entry systems provide easier access for emergency vehicles and help reduce the technical issues we have experienced with our current system. 'There will be an exit barrier to help manage traffic flow back into the village. We will monitor any changes resulting from the new system and assess how it impacts traffic in the village.' Find the weather forecast where you live
North Wales Live
4 hours ago
- North Wales Live
The real life North Wales story behind new BBC drama Confessions of a Steroid Gang
A new BBC series has revealed how a steroid empire based in North Wales was dismantled, partly through a dodgy dog grooming shop set up to launder the money being made. Confessions of a Steroid Gang tells the real life story of Macaulay Dodd and his father Andrew who were jailed after their £1m steroid lab was uncovered. The three-part series reveals how Macaulay, portrayed by Rhondda-based actor Garin Williams, first became addicted to steroids at 15 in the pursuit to achieve the perfect body before he would go on to cook up £1.2m worth of the Class C drug. Although anabolic steroids are a Class C drug, there is an exemption for personal use. Struggling with his relationship with his dad following his parents divorce, Macaulay latched onto his older, gym-going brother and his circle of older friends. His trips to the gym soon turned into something darker when he began injecting steroids at 15, becoming addicted to build the perfect body. His dad, Andrew Dodd, was also struggling. A former Dee estuary fisherman, he was desperate to change his circumstances when he had a chance encounter with a man in the pub who introduced him to the world of steroids. Hearing that 1.5 million people in the UK were using the drug, he decided to get involved. The pair reconnected when Macauley was 18 and living out his car in Deeside before they moved to St Asaph, where they set up their steroid lab in a remote farmhouse. It started as a small scheme in a garden shed but quickly evolved into one of the UK's biggest underground steroid labs, Renvex. The pair were importing the raw ingredients, mainly synthetic testosterone, from China, and formed a network of members of the public who would accept parcels for them without asking questions. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now Speaking on the show, Andrew said: "I didn't really class myself as a criminal. I'd just seen myself as a business owner." A police operation in London eventually led to the discovery of a large quantity of steroids in a flat belonging to Terence Murrell, an online dealer who was buying from Renvex. Documents at the home led police to find a payment to a dog grooming business that Andrew and Macauley had set up in Ruthin to launder the money. North Wales Police closed in on the father and son's operation. They were arrested in a dawn raid and police finally uncovered the lab at the centre of it all. Andrew said it "felt like a relief at the time", fed up of "deceiving" those around him. Both Andrew and Macauley were sentenced to spend five years in prison in 2018. Despite their court-room bust up, they spent their time in prison together, which Macauley said "saved" their relationship. Including testimony from steroid users, experts and those affected by the culture, Confessions of a Steroid Gang shows how image-obsessed social media, testosterone supplements and a booming black market collided and highlights the health risks of unregulated steroid use and addiction. Speaking on his involvement in the series, Garin Williams, who played Macauley said it was the "biggest project" he'd been involved in so far. "As an actor, you want to show as much emotion as possible on screen and with this story about Macauley's life I had a great opportunity to do so."
North Wales Live
12 hours ago
- North Wales Live
New ANPR parking to tackle 'lawlessness' at iconic Welsh beach and forest
A new barrierless parking system is to be introduced at a famous Anglesey beach to curb soaring levels of illegal camping. A forest behind Traeth Llanddwyn is said to be at 'significant' risk from camp fires and illicit barbecues. Wardens patrolling the area do their best to move on groups of wild campers despite 'abuse and threats'. BBQs are banned in the area but a fire broke out in Newborough forest last week when campers set light to bone-dry pine needles. The 2,500-acre forest is part of a National Reserve and there are concerns a major fire would devastate local wildlife, including red squirrels. Residents in the nearby village of Newborough claim the forest has become 'lawless' and and worry a runaway blaze would threaten nearby homes. In May, brutal new parking charges were introduced at the reserve, popularised on social media after gaining fame from the TV series House of the Dragon. This was designed to curb visitor numbers and so bring relief to a village often brought to a standstill by vehicles queuing to reach the sandy beach and its iconic island. Now site manager Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is planning to install a new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) parking system later this year. It will operate in a similar fashion to the pay-later barrierless arrangements at Mersey Gateway Bridge and Manchester Airport. This way, NRW will be able to identify vehicles parking up overnight and so allow the environment body to clamp down on wild camping. A barrier will be retained along the exit road – not for payments but to control traffic flows through the village. A spokesperson said: 'The new system will provide CCTV which will assist with reporting and investigating anti-social behaviour. It will allow us to monitor and issue fines for those parking overnight in our car parks. 'Overnight camping remains prohibited and during this summer we have increased patrols and responded to a number of call-outs from the public to deal with illegal camping.' Local people have been flagging Llanddwyn's 'selfish and incredibly dangerous' campers for some time, calling for more warden patrols and large on-the-spot fines. Some visitors camp on the beach or in the car park, many string up tents between trees in the forest itself. Last year's out-of-control fire wasn't the first this summer. 'If it carries on, we won't have a forest,' said a worried local online. Another added: 'I hate going down first thing in the morning because you see are the entitled campers and I get so angry.' He's not the only one. 'Car park rammed with over-nighters again!' sighed a local this week. 'Lawless Llanddwyn!' Half in jest, some residents have talked of taking action themselves – one idea involved broadcasting loud music in the forest through the night to deter campers. NRW wardens – often locals themselves – risk patrolling the forest at night. It can be hazardous. A resident who spoke to them said: 'I'm sure the rangers would prefer to be at home with their families rather than spending the night in the forest worrying about the forest getting burned down and risking abuse or being assaulted. "Would you want to confront a bunch of pi**ed-up idiots late at night?' Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday After parking in one of three car parks in the forest, visitors currently pay up to £15 per day at exit barriers at the edge of the reserve. Not only does this system fail to identify overnight stayers, the barrier can malfunction. Occasionally, height barriers designed to deter motorhomes are wrecked by drivers, usually due to complacency rather than malice. NRW is reportedly waiting until the busy summer season is over before installing its new cameras in case of teething problems. Not everyone is convinced they'll make a difference. A resident said not all campers park in the reserve itself, instead picking spots in and around the village itself. Last weekend he said: 'On Saturday evening we saw people walking (into the forest) with camping gear.' It is quite a haul, however. For years the main beach car park at Llanddwyn had a designated BBQ area. This summer the facility was closed down and replaced with a picnic area, in line with a wider BBQ ban in the reserve. Local people suspect it's made matters worse, encouraging campers to light BBQs on the beach and in the forest instead. On Thursday (August 14) NRW was forced to issue the latest in a long line of safety messages on social media. These reminded visitors there is now a 'full ban in place for all barbecues and fires following a rise in fire-related incidents'. NRW has yet to set of a date for the barrierless APNR cameras. A spokesperson said: 'The new system will enable users to manage car park payments via an app, as well as handle season tickets and registration for local users. 'Barrierless entry systems provide easier access for emergency vehicles and help reduce the technical issues we have experienced with our current system. 'There will be an exit barrier to help manage traffic flow back into the village. We will monitor any changes resulting from the new system and assess how it impacts traffic in the village.'
