Local residents joined environmental action group Extinction Rebellion to highlight what they say is sewage and waste being dumped into the River Taff.
The group set up a 'crime scene' on the banks of the river next to the Taff Trail in Hailey Park, Llandaff North, on Sunday afternoon against the backdrop of sewage waste that includes sanitary products and wet wipes hanging from tree branches to highlight the Taff's current state, and as part of the UK national week of action called "Dirty Water".
Members of Extinction Rebellion Cardiff joined worried residents of the local community to also unveil a blue plaque at Hailey Park's Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO).
According to Surfers Against Sewage, a CSO is sewage water and surface water flowing into the same pipe system before travelling to a treatment plant. In instances when the sewerage system becomes overloaded, such as due to heavy rainfall, the group says that water companies are allowed to use sewage overflows to discharge untreated human sewage and waste water into the environment.
In February 2023, residents and groups including Llandaff North Residents' Association, Friends of Hailey Park and YGC Rebel Mams spent days cleaning up a section of the Cardiff park after it became littered with sanitary towels and toilet wipes, leading to this stretch of the Taff Trail being named 'Wet Wipe Walk'. Find out more about that here.
At that time Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water stated there were a number of sources for the debris that could enter the river and get caught on trees during periods of heavy rain. When the river level drops, the level of debris becomes more apparent.
The not-for-profit utility company is also keen to promote public education about what should not be flushed down the toilet in a bid to reduce the amount of waste appearing in rivers and waterways. Called 'Stop The Block' the campaign highlights the need to put only toilet paper down the loo, and all wipes, cotton buds, nappies and sanitary products disposed of via a bin.
Extinction Rebellion said the blue plaque unveiled at the Hailey Park SCO 'crime scene' event was created to highlight the government's continued failure to tighten environmental regulations.
The plaque reads: "Dirty Welsh Water 14,787 house discharges 2021. Alun Cairns MP, Jamie Wallis MP voted to block a law to reduce sewage dumped in our rivers. 20th October 2021."
Rebecca, who lives locally in the Llandaff North area, said: "It's become a safety issue. Sadly my daily walk along the riverside paths of the park and to the Hailey Park beaches are no more.
"It can make dogs ill if they go in sewage polluted water and I also don't want them picking up sanitary towels and nappies so we have to keep away from the river.
"I, and other dog walkers, used to stick to the riverside because bicycles travel so fast on paths but now I'm forced to dodge the bikes or go further afield to keep safe."
Alice, a 36-year-old resident, said: "If you add the data from this CSO at Hailey Park with the three nearest ones up the river in Taffs Well we see that there were 181 times when raw sewage was discharged into the river for a total of 2,326 hours in 2021, and the total number of hours of raw sewage into the whole of the River Taff in 2021 stands at 14,787 hours."
Spokesperson for Cardiff Extinction Rebellion, 34-year-old Pip Beattie, said: "We've watched in horror as our rivers and seas have become open sewers since October 2021, when the government voted down a proposal to stop water companies pumping waste directly into our rivers.
"They justified this by claiming that the proposal was too expensive and yet in 2021 Welsh Water bosses took home £931,000 in performance based bonuses. These plaques shine a light on the government's failure to protect our waterways, the natural world, and all of us."
The group say Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water were invited to attend the event at Hailey Park but did not respond. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water have been approached for comment.
The 'crime scene' event occurred amidst a campaign by Llandaff North Residents' Association to stop the building of a proposed sewage pumping station within the boundary of Hailey Park, with the Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water plans approved by Cardiff County Council in September 2022, find out more about that here.
But on Wednesday, February 15, the association learnt that permission had been granted by the High Court for their application to take the council to court over the process that led to the planning decision. Find out more about that here.
Read next:
Human waste spotted pumping into River Taff as main sewer pipe bursts
Every place raw sewage is dumped into our rivers and exactly how often it happens
Welsh rivers pumped with sewage named among UK's most polluted
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