Raw sewage spotted 'seeping' onto Llandudno beach after pumping station 'blockage'

North Wales Live

4 days ago

Raw sewage 'seeping' onto a Llandudno beach has led to calls for Welsh Water to invest more in their pumping stations. This week beachgoers reported sewage running onto the beach under a roller-shutter door of the pumping station at Dale Road car park on the West Shore.
Now Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders says she has written to Welsh Water, demanding they invest in improving their pumping stations to prevent future problems. Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mrs Finch Saunders said she is concerned due to the incident occurring during the height of the summer tourist season. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox.
Welsh Water said the leak had been caused by a blockage, but the "foul water" did not "enter any watercourse and had no detrimental environmental impact".
Mrs Finch Saunders said the incident led to sewage "seeping out near Dale Road car park". She said: "This is when the residents and visitors want to take a dip in the sea. Surfers Against Sewage are also finding that beaches in North Wales in my constituency have pollution levels that are much too high. It has got to stop.
'It is not acceptable. Our hotels are working flat out to accommodate our visitors. The kids are off school. I've written to Welsh Water, asking how it happened and when it is going to be fixed, so people can go back in the water. They are going to have to invest some money to stop this happening. We are at our full tilt now in August.'
She added: 'The hoteliers are working flat out, and the last thing they need is people complaining they are coming to West Shore, which is a beautiful part of Llandudno, and the area is being blighted by this raw sewage.'
A Welsh Water spokesman said: 'We can confirm there was a blockage at our pumping station in West Shore in Llandudno that resulted in a small amount of foul water seeping from the building. However, it did not enter any watercourse and had no detrimental environmental impact.
'A crew has attended earlier today to clear the blockage of wet wipes and carried out an initial clean-up. Due to the requirement for a deep clean, we have arranged for a full clean up using specialist kit.'
He added: 'We would like to remind our customers not to dispose of any materials other than toilet roll down the toilet. Nappies, cotton buds, and wet wipes block our system. Similarly, pouring fat, oil, and grease down sinks can cause blockages. The issue of sewer abuse and the resulting flooding costs the company around £5 million a year. For more information on our 'Stop the Block' campaign, please visit dwrcymru.com.' Conwy County Council was contacted for a comment.