Beach pollution sparks calls for Bay clean-up

SWANSEA beach-goers are demanding cleanup action after it was revealed that thousands of small plastic discs from a city wastewater treatment plant had washed up on beaches across the bay area.

- CLAIRE ELLIOTT

Swansea's Caswell Bay JONATHAN MYERS

Locals joined environmentalists in voicing their concern after the discovery along the sands of Swansea, Gower and Neath Port Talbot.

Welsh Water confirmed the pollution came from its Fabian Way facility after a power failure coincided with heavy wastewater flows.

The company said new safeguards were now in place to prevent it from happening again.

Killay resident Chloe Stacey said she was shocked to find “thousands” of the discs scattered along Swansea beach.

“They absolutely plagued the high tide line,” she said. “They're so small - anything could eat them.”

She added that removing those trapped in seaweed would require “manual collection.”

Welsh Water said most of the discs - roughly the size of a pound coin - had since been recovered, with staff and volunteers continuing beach inspections.