Welsh Conservatives are calling for action from the Labour Welsh Government to protect Welsh Waterways, following recent figures on sewage dumping.

Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and the Environment Janet Finch-Saunders has reiterated her calls in the Senedd for the Labour Government to introduce a dedicated environmental watchdog to hold companies like Dŵr Cymru to account for their continued dumping.

Analysis of Welsh Water's figures show sewage was discharged 118, 276 times last year, which equates to an average of more than one sewage spill every five minutes. The total number of hours that sewage was discharged for was 968,340 in Wales last year, compared to more than 916,000 hours the year before. Meanwhile, Dŵr Cymru customers have seen their bills rise by 27% with the average annual bill going up from £503 to £639, with rises planned annually for the next five years meaning customers are set to pay the highest water bills in England and Wales.

The River Teifi, which forms the boundary between Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, is the fifth most sewage-polluted river in the UK, while the River Cleddau was polluted by sewage 953 times.

Janet Finch-Saunders MS said:

“Water companies in Wales, such as Dŵr Cymru, have a responsibility to ensure our waterways are protected, not allow unchecked sewage dumping to continue.

“Dŵr Cymru customers are seeing their household water bills increasing to become the highest in England and Wales, all while their dumping is spoiling Wales’ natural beauty.

“Wales is the only country in the UK without a dedicated environmental watchdog, Dŵr Cymru has been allowed to dump illegally for years and Welsh waterways are some of the most polluted in the UK. It is clear that Labour have dropped the ball in protecting our waterways in Wales.”