Smelly oily water is ruining a Neath canal

Concerns have been raised after a "smelly" and "oily" substance was spotted at a Neath beauty spot. Skewen resident Robert John Boucher was enjoying a leisurely walk along the Tennant Canal on Tuesday evening when he spotted "oily slick black soil".

On closer inspection, Robert found that the oily mess had a strong "foul" smell and appeared to have spread quite a distance along the side of the canal. In a video of the scene, which you can watch at the top of this article, he explained: "All this [area] is full of oil, oily soil. It absolutely reeks. It's all been dumped here, next to a little trench which goes into the River Neath. Absolutely stinking, it's foul, absolutely horrible... It goes for the best part of a mile."

However, it is understood the substance is the result of planned maintenance work to clear a culvert, which prevent contaminated water entering the canal, and is necessary for flood prevention. The oil and smell has been described as a disturbance of sour ground.

Concerned by the oily mess, Robert shared the video to social media and contacted WalesOnline to alert the Neath community. We contacted Neath Port Talbot Council and Natural Resources Wales who are now aware of the incident and have pledged to look into the matter.

Environment team leader at Natural Resources Wales, Jonathan Jones said: "Natural Resources Wales has not received any pollution reports from this area. However, our environment team for Neath Port Talbot has now been made aware of this social media post and will look into the matter.

"I would urge anyone who witnesses something that they believe to be polluting our natural environment to report it to us immediately by calling our 24/7 incident number 0300 065 3000 or report online."

A spokesperson for Neath Port Talbot Council added: " Environmental Health officers are currently investigating and will liaise with colleagues in Natural Resources Wales if any offences have been committed."

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The smelly oily waste spreads for a mile, Robert estimates (Robert John Boucher)

It's not known how the waste came to be at the Tennant Canal, but Neath Port Talbot Council and Natural Resources Wales have pledged to look into it (Robert John Boucher)

Green Party councillor Nathan Gold-up John added: "We are very concerned about this matter and will raise it with all the relevant authorities, internal and external... any vandalism on such an amazing community asset should be treated in serious way.

"I have been actively engaging with the Tennant Canal Trust to see how we can bring life back into the canal, through tourism, leisure, biodiversity and active travel lenses. The canals in our area are important biodiversity veins which run through our communities and we should ensure their continued use, protecting and enhancing them in any way we can.

"When a resource is neglected it will ultimately fall in to a state of disrepair, so we, as a community, need to show our continued support to this wonderful waterway. I have been involved with the Skewen litter-picking group which cleaned an area near the Tennant canal on Saturday, June 25, we collected seven bags worth of rubbish. It is community activism like this coupled with recognition by the council which will ultimately lead to enhancement of the Tennant Canal."

WalesOnline understands the canal is managed by Leeder Property Consultants in Swansea. In an email from Leeder Property Consultants, which WalesOnline has seen, the company says it is aware of the situation at the canal and said: "We have to get cleared every couple of years to prevent flooding and contaminated flood water entering the canal". We have contacted the the Neath and Tennant Canals Trust for further information.