A dad who discovered dumped faeces in a river where his children had been playing has branded the culprits "disgraceful". Will Millard, who is a writer, broadcaster, and ambassador for ‘Keep Wales Tidy’, was holidaying with family in Powys when they made the grim discovery and described it as "one of the worst things" he has ever seen in a Welsh river.
He believes that the human waste was poured from a bridge on the River Edw at Llanbadarn-y-Garreg, most likely by the owner of a motorhome or camping toilet.
The BAFTA Cymru winning presenter, who explores forgotten, secret and almost inaccessible locations in Wales, was staying with his family at a bunkhouse nearby when his brother-in-law spotted the problem
Mr Millard, who believes someone may have dumped the contents of a chemical toilet after camping nearby, was so horrified he made a video and reported the incident to Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
Speaking to the camera, he said: "We have been coming for years, especially just to come down for a bit of paddling in the pools on the river with the kids. We were with my sister and her family and all four of our kids were playing in the river and my brother in law came up to say there was a load of human poo just off the bridge."
He added: "There is absolutely loads of it. Looks like someone has come past with a chemical toilet and just dumped it over the bridge. It is absolutely disgusting. Terrible for our kids and awful for the wildlife and natural environment.
"It is disgraceful behaviour. It is one of the worst things I have ever seen in a Welsh hill stream and I am going to be reporting this. Absolutely disgusting behaviour."
Jenny Phillips, South Powys Environment Team Leader for NRW confirmed that they are investigating after receiving the report human waste had been dumped.
She said: "We had officers on site soon after it was reported and we carried out checks at the location in question as well as upstream and downstream. We believe that this is an isolated incident and the investigation is ongoing. Our officers did not see any evidence of fish or other wildlife in distress.
“Human waste is high in organic matter. As well as covering the river bed with unsightly debris it lowers available oxygen and can cause stress and lethal effects on aquatic life. In high quantities the ammonia it contains can have toxic impacts on fish and macroinvertebrates. The increased nutrients present can cause excessive algal and plant growth damaging the ecology and water quality.
“We all have a role to play ensure we get the quality of waters we want to see and we urge people to dispose of waste responsibly at designated facilities."
Earlier this year, research found that six of the worst polluted rivers in the UK are in Wales. Read more here. In just one year England and Wales’ waterways had sewage pumped into them for at least 3.4m hours, according to the most recent figures. Data from 2021 has revealed the horrifying extent to which rivers, canals, the sea, and other bodies have been polluted by water companies.
Anyone who witnesses an environmental incident is asked to contact NRW on their 24/7 incident line on 0300 065 3000 or on their online reporting tool.
