Following complaints from nearby residents about a landfill in Pembrokeshire, Wales’ government has ordered an “urgent review” of the environmental regulator’s actions. Residents living near the Withyhedge landfill site have likened it to “a stink bomb on steroids”. The Channel 4 Dispatches programme claims that unsuitable waste, including vials of blood, has been dumped at the site. The firm, which operates the site, denies placing unsuitable items in landfill and has apologized to residents for the odour.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Wales’ environmental watchdog, said it is working to address the issue. David Neal, the director of the firm, has been at the center of a controversy involving a £200,000 donation from his company to the leadership campaign of First Minister Vaughan Gething. Mr. Neal has been convicted twice of environmental offenses relating to the illegal dumping of waste.
Public Health Wales revealed that during March and April, the monitoring of the Withyhedge site detected levels of hydrogen sulphide gas that were sometimes above the guidelines set down by the World Health Organisation. Residents have been advised to keep their doors and windows closed when the smell is present and to seek medical advice if they feel unwell.
Andrew RT Davies, Senedd leader of the Welsh Conservatives, stated that it is “high time” the Welsh government and NRW “rectify this situation that has gone on far too long”. Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth asked for an urgent investigation into the latest evidence on the Channel 4 program. NRW responded that it has gathered information to determine if further enforcement action is necessary
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More