Latest news with #GarethRichards
Wales Online
30-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
It only costs pennies but this is wreaking havoc on Wales' seals
It only costs pennies but this is wreaking havoc on Wales' seals Seals are facing a new threat from cheap plastic toy that can lead to a painful death (Image: South Wales Evening Post ) Seals are a common sight across Welsh shorelines, especially in August and November, their breeding seasons. But a small plastic toy that can be bought for a few pennies has been threatening the lives of these marine animals, particularly their young. Plastic 'doughnut shaped flying rings.' a type of frisbee, threaten the marine animals so much that Swansea Council has now backed a voluntary ban on the toy, and campaigners are urging other councils to follow suit. The way these toys are made with a hollow centre means that they can often snare around curious pups' necks when the animals try to play with the ring. Once stuck, it is very hard to remove the rings from the seal's neck (Image: Seal Alliance UK ) Gareth Richards, 68, the Founder of Gower Seal Group, and Vice Chairman of the UK Seal Alliance Executive, said that once the ring gets stuck around the animal's neck, it is very hard to rescue the seals, and more often than not, they end up dead. 'Locally, we have the North Atlantic Grey Seal, which is globally rare,' Gareth explained. 'We have around about a third of the entire global population of Grey Seal that lives around the UK coastline and we've got a small percentage of that that visit us on Gower and Swansea.' Gareth said that because the seals already face threat from climate change and other disturbances,it is crucial that 'we look after them.' Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here He added: 'We've got this new threat, which is the flying rings, and the flying rings are imported into the UK in their thousands. They're sold very, very, cheaply in many outlets, not only in Swansea, but across the UK.' The retired policeman explained: 'They often get lost or discarded on beaches or near waterways and end up in the sea. Now to a curious seal, especially the younger seals, when they find these these flying rings floating in the sea, it's like a toy or like a play thing. 'In their natural curiosity They will start to put their heads through it and sort of bite it, etc.. What actually happens is, is that these rings go over their necks and get stuck fast. These rings cut deep into the seals' neck leading to their death (Image: Seal Alliance UK ) 'The more the seal tries to get out of it, the tighter it becomes. And then over the coming weeks or months it will start to cut into their skin, cause infection, and ultimately they die.' The seal group has started a national campaign 'Save Our Seals From Flying Rings', on May 26, which includes a petition calling upon the government to stop the import of these products. He explained how rescue organisations are powerless to help the affected seals. Gareth said: 'Most seals that become entangled whether it's in discarded fishing nets or ropes or all these particular rings, we can't actually rescue them because there are so many different challenges and difficulties. 'For example, geographically it might not be the right place to try an effective rescue. We've got to think of the safety of our of medics, our rescuers, and of course the safety for not only that particular seal, but also of the other seals that may well be in the vicinity all around as well. So it's a very small percentage of those that are fortunate to be rescued.' The devastating impact that these rings can have on the animals (Image: Seal Alliance UK ) Even for the seals that are rescued, the rehabilitation costs can reach up to thousands of pounds. Gareth explained: 'Those that are rescued, and these rings are cut off their necks, they'll go to various wildlife rehabilitation centres across the UK. For example, to the RSPCA, which is a charity. 'Then they will have many months of rehabilitation and it actually costs the RSPCA between 10 and 15,000 pounds to rehabilitate a seal that's been entangled in this way. Now, these flying rings actually cost a retailer as little as 33 pennies. So that equates that it costs the RSPCA nearly 46,000 times more than the initial cost of that flying ring to rehabilitate it.' Swansea Council has been working with the Gower Seal Group, local schools, and businesses in Gower to promote the ban after passing the notice of motion that aims to end the use of these rings close to wildlife in the coastline. So far, businesses in Gower like the Pitton Cross Caravan and Camping, Kennexstone Camping and Touring Park, and Surfside Café, Langland, Northway Garage, Bishopston have already stopped the sale of these flying rings. Additonallly, several national retail chains have aslo stopped the sale of these products. Gower Seal Group regularly visits schools in area to inform them about about seals and other marine life, and how they can support the effort. Andrew Stevens, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, at Swansea Council said: "We fully support what Gower Seal Group is doing to protect our seals. We are so lucky to have seals near many of our beaches in Swansea and Gower. "The vast majority of the many thousands of people who visit Gower every year treat the area, its wildlife and its coastline with respect. Along with the Gower Seal Group we are urging visitors to play their part to protect our seal population as well." Gareth regularly gives talks at shcools to raise awareness about the issue (Image: Seal Alliance UK ) Gareth said: 'We are very lucky here actually in Swansea. Swansea local authority last September, were the first local authority in Wales to actually put a voluntary ban because they voted unanimously at a full council to ban the sale and the purchase of these flying rings. 'Now from that, the Vale of Glamorgan council have also followed suit. They banned it a couple of weeks ago. I know for a fact there are a number of other councils as well.' He added: 'What I'm actually calling on is for all 22 unitary authorities in Wales to show some compassion really, and act so that these things are banned in their particular areas. 'Even council areas like Powys, which is landlocked, there are still shops that are selling them within landlocked areas, and people would bring them to the coast or bring them near waterways where they get lost and discarded.' Not just the flying rings, Gareth has also asked people to be give the seals space when they come on to the shores. He said: 'Seals spend around about 80% of their time at sea, and they have to haul out on rocky ledges or on sandy beaches to rest and digest their food, exactly like us going to bed in the evening. We need our sleep as well. 'These particular animals, if they are disturbed by humans… and they are disturbed by land, sea and air, because there's a particular problem with drones at the moment, being flown far too close to them, then what actually happens, it disturbs their rest pattern. 'They flush back into the sea, so they don't have the rest. They don't the time to digest their food. And what it actually does is is that it starts to erode away on their energy reserves.' Gareth also serves as the regional coordinator for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, and takes part in rescues (Image: Gareth Richards ) He adds that the seal group asks people to give seals space, and stay atleast a hundred meters away from a resting seal. Gareth continued: 'There's a thing which is called 'ghost gear'. That is discarded fishing net; 640,000 tonnes of this is actually discarded in our oceans every year. That is the equivalent of 55,000 double-decker buses being tossed into the ocean every year. 'These things sort of float or they would be down on the surface and any marine life, not just seals but cetaceans or dolphins, your whales, your porpoises and other fish as well do get entangled in this sort of ghost gear. So it is a huge problem.' Article continues below In an appeal he said: 'We ask people as well that when they walking along the beach, please don't discard any litter but if they do see any of this type of litter, then please pick it up and then dispose of it responsibly. 'I know, as a National Trust volunteer myself, we do regular beach cleans, and I know that certainly within Wales, there are lots of regular beach clean which are being held by keep Wales tidy, the marine conservation society as well. They organise beach cleanings. So please look at their websites and see where and when these beach cleans are taking place.'
ITV News
22-05-2025
- ITV News
'Save Our Seals': The beach toy campaigners want banned to protect marine life
The RSPCA says it's dealing with an increasing number of distressing incidents of seals being strangled by frisbees, as ITV News Wales Reporter Rhys Williams investigates With the warm weather and a May half-term ahead, many of us will hit the beach to enjoy some fun in the sun - but campaigners are warning of the danger a type of frisbee, known as a 'flying ring,' can cause to seals. The rings, a plastic or rubber circle with a hole in the middle, sell for as little as £1-£2 at beachside shops, but can easily slip over a seal pup's head and cause horrible injuries as they grow. If untreated, these injuries can kill seals and other marine mammals. The UK Seal Alliance is calling on the government to ban the import and sale of the rings as part of its 'Save Our Seals' campaign, launching next week. 'We are not here to stop people having fun," Gareth Richards from the UK Seal Alliance told me. "We just want people to change the frisbee they are using.' Gareth explained that a discarded or lost flying ring 'can enter the water and be seen by young seals as a toy or plaything.' He said the rings are "irresistible to the inquisitive creatures" and wants 'people to ask themselves 'Is my frisbee seal safe?' If it is a ring frisbee, it is not.' One young seal was recently admitted to East Winch Wildlife Centre with a flying ring around its neck. It was spotted off the Norfolk coast. The centre's manager, Evangelos Achilleos, told ITV News that while the seal was recovering well, injuries of this kind are common due to the 'naturally inquisitive nature' of the animal. 'They'll just swim and they'll notice a flying ring along the surface and they just pop their head in,' Mr Achielleos said. 'As they get bigger, it gets tighter and tighter - and as it gets tighter, it then leads to horrific injuries, which then exposes them to infection. "If they aren't treated over time, it can kill them.' Swansea Council, which looks after The Gower Peninsula's beaches, has become the first local authority in the UK to push retailers to stop selling ring style frisbees in stories near beaches. The campaign has seen major companies like Tesco, Halfords and Pets at Home voluntarily agree to stop selling the frisbees in their stores in the Swansea area. Local business owners have also agreed to stop selling frisbees that are not seal safe. David Rogers, from Kennexstone Leisure, said he wasn't aware of the issue until recently: 'As soon as I was told what items were the problem, we took them straight off sale.' He explained that he stopped selling the products because 'nature is suffering, our oceans are suffering and nature needs everyone's help.' Even though he lives near the sea, Mr Rogers didn't know about the danger to seals. He now wants to make sure he is only 'selling something that doesn't cause a problem for any animal.' MP for North Cornwall Ben Maguire told ITV News he would raise the prospect of a ban with ministers. 'This is a simple change that manufacturers, holiday makers, and everyone can get behind. It doesn't cost the earth,' he said. 'Ultimately, we want to protect marine wildlife. So as long as we come up with a solution to do that, I'm not sure the means are necessarily as important as the destination we want to get to.' Campaigners say that flying rings are an 'unnecessary and avoidable threat to seals.' Their hope is the local success here can become a UK wide campaign to ban the sale in coastal communities.
Wales Online
18-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
It was an ugly old park and ride site, then someone had a brilliant transformative idea
It was an ugly old park and ride site, then someone had a brilliant transformative idea It was a mixture of hardstanding and scrubland, now it's a hidden oasis of tranquility you wouldn't even know was there Part of the green oasis you might not know is there in Swansea (Image: John Myers ) Just over a decade ago a chunk of riverside land in Swansea wasn't the most inviting of places, and that's the understatement of the year. The former stadium park and ride site on the northern edge of Swansea Enterprise Park, by the River Tawe, had a large area of hardstanding, fencing, and scrubland. A Google Maps image from 2011 shows a collection of gas cannisters by the park and ride entrance and some traveller caravans. There were and still are trees running along the banks of the adjacent River Tawe but the whole character of the area changed when Environment Agency Wales, as it was then, began exploring a major flood defence project. The £7 million Lower Swansea Valley flood defence scheme would include moving the existing flood embankment and path further back from the Tawe to create a new wetland area with ponds. This wetland would act as a giant sponge to absorb surging water, protecting homes and businesses downstream and creating new habitat. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here A view of the area as it is now (Image: John Myers ) The project, in collaboration with Swansea Council, also resulted in a new footbridge downstream which is at a higher level than its predecessor, plus other raised embankments using 52 Olympic swimming pools' worth of soil excavated from the former park and ride site. Article continues below Flooding had severely affected the area in 1979, and there was further flooding in 1998. Experts said that without enhanced protection, 284 businesses and 16 homes were under threat in a one-in-a-hundred year flood event and that more than £43 million of damage could be caused over a century. Before the work started on the site (Image: Copyright Unknown ) But, rather than just building walls, Environment Agency Wales, which was subsumed into Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in April, 2013, used land to soak up peak river flows. The work took place in 2013 and 2014 and now the wetland area is full of trees and greenery, and the shared-use path on the raised embankment alongside is well used by walkers and cyclists. The cycle path links Swansea to Coelbren - a 31-mile National Cycle Network route full of character which passes Clydach, Pontardawe and Ystradgynlais and generally follows the Tawe and Swansea Canal. As the work was taking place (Image: Copyright Unknown ) Gareth Richards worked for Environment Agency Wales as an asset inspector and described the former stadium park and ride area as pretty bare biodiversity-wise and a tricky site in terms of access. "It was quite a big scheme for us," recalled Mr Richards, who works for NRW. "We are trying to use these nature-based solutions as much as we can." These can include upstream options such as tree-planting to help soak up pulses of floodwater. It sits alongside a busy road (Image: John Myers ) The Lower Swansea Valley flood defence scheme has proven its worth to date. Mr Richards said the level of the Tawe, as measured by a gauge upstream of the wetland area, peaked during Storm Dennis in February, 2020, but was still 5cm below the severe flood event of 1979. The defences would be over-topped, he said, during flooding greater than a one-in-a-hundred year event. It can be hard to picture flooding during long periods of dry and sunny weather such as the current spring. Rainfall can fluctuate significantly from year to year but there has been a general upward trend in rainfall volume in the UK since 1980, according to Met Office data. There are holiday homes nearby (Image: John Myers ) The atmosphere is warming, and a hotter atmosphere can hold more water vapour. Climate change, said NRW, was making it harder to hold weather-related shocks at arm's length. Reducing the risk of flooding remains a cornerstone of its work, but it said big and potentially unpalatable decisions would need to be made at some point about where people lived and worked. lots of people now use the area for recreation (Image: John Myers ) Mr Richards, who is part of a team which inspects the Lower Swansea Valley flood defence scheme once a year, said: "We get more intense rainfall events, and we have got to be as prepared as we can and be as resilient to the best of our ability. "The challenge we will have in the future is finding solutions which fit budgets, resources and space available." The area at the former stadium park and ride, which straddles the wards of Llansamlet and Morriston, feels like an oasis of green if you've cycled up through Swansea Enterprise Park. It's an oasis of calm (Image: John Myers ) Article continues below Landowner Swansea Council said it completed a landscaping and planting programme which enabled the site to naturally re-vegetate and enhance biodiversity. Llansamlet councillor Ryland Doyle is part of a walking group which does a looping route from the enterprise park up towards Ynystawe and back. He said the curving, raised embankment was a decent stretch. "It's very, very pleasant - there's no two ways about it," he said.
