Llandudno crackdown on people flushing their poo and urine into the sea!

 
The sea in Llandudno has been filthy for years, nothing new there! Llandudno’s glorious Victorian frontage and its 2km pebbly foreshore lures some seven million visitors each year. But behind the facade is a troubling issue that threatens to damage the resort’s appeal.

Over the past five years, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has scored the waters off Llandudno’s North Shore beach poorly for its bathing quality. Since 2019, the area has merited just one star out of three (“sufficient”), other than in 2022 when it got two stars (“good”).In contrast, the resort’s West Shore waters have been rated “excellent” (three stars) in four of the past five years. The West Shore has an active storm sewage overflow, unlike the North Shore where its overflow is currently “dormant”.Here, potentially harmful bacteria like E coli and Intestinal Entercocci have been found in the sea, typically peaking in August when the resort is at it busiest. Experts suspect one possible reason for the discrepancy and a joint operation is currently underway to address it.

Officers from NRW, Conwy Council, and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water have been visiting homes in the resort’s Craig y Don area to check drainage systems. It follows suspicion that homeowners have been wrongly connecting their wastewater and surface pipes.

Homes have two separate sewer connections. One is for wastewater, which is taken to sewage works for treatment. The other is a surface water drain which takes clean water out to sea. If these are mis-connected, lots of nasty stuff will flow into coastal waters, from poo and urine to chemicals and wipes.

So far more than 120 homes have been visited in Craig y Don. Almost one in six (18) had issues such as blocked wastewater pipes, misconnected kitchen sinks and defects in surface water pipes. Residents have been told to get them fixed.

If pipes are wrongly connected, nasties seen in the top tank will flow into the sea (Image: Conwy Council)

Cllr Goronwy Edwards, Conwy’s cabinet member for infrastructure, transport and facilities, said the initial aim was to raise awareness of the pitfalls. He said: “Wastewater from showers, toilets, sinks, washing machines and dishwashers contains bacteria and chemicals which have an impact on water quality.

“When this wastewater enters the surface water sewer, known as a misconnection, it will cause pollution in the sea. Most misconnections have been done entirely by accident, so we’d urge anyone installing a new appliance or fitting new connections to make sure it’s installed properly.”

During visits, officers are lifting manholes and using coloured dye. By flushing toilets or running taps, they can then check if wastewater is flowing through the correct pipes.

Green dye is being used to check for faulty drain connections (Image: Conwy Council)

Further visits will take place in the area over the coming months. Meanwhile, the public are being asked to check their own properties or engage a plumber to do it for them. Conwy Council said this is especially important at properties where an extension or any other building work has altered the original drainage. 

Gareth Williams, Dŵr Cymru’s pollution prevention technician, said misconnected pipes can also pollute local rivers. He added: “By working together, we can help protect the local environment and help improve bathing waters around the Llandudno area.”

If Dŵr Cymru customers suspect they have a misconnection on their property, they can contact the water company on 0800 0853968 From....https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/llandudno-crackdown-people-flushing-poo-30262613