A landfill site in Wales may still be leaking toxic chemical waste through a forest where children play, residents of village near Caerphilly believe. The Ty Llwyd Quarry, near to Ynysddu, is believed to contain highly carcinogenic PCBs and other pollutants which were dumped at the site decades ago by chemical company Monsanto from its Newport factory.
Manufacturing of PCBs, which were widely used in electric equipment, was banned in the UK in 1981 after tests revealed them to be deadly to humans and wildlife. Those who live in the area below the council-owned quarry say that after heavy rain a potent-smelling brown foamy liquid flows from the site down through woodland and past homes.
Many remain concerned the substance is potentially harmful to inhabitants and that it could be entering the Sirhowy River and eventually spilling into the Celtic Sea. The local council claims the liquid is “normal surface water” but has urged people to stay away from the quarry and surrounding area during periods of heavy rainfall.
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Independent councillor for Ynysddu Jan Jones said she has raised the issue a number of times with Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC), which owns Ty Llwyd, and the Welsh Government. She said: “When it comes off (the quarry) it stinks. And that’s something you won’t experience by looking at the photographs – it’s absolutely stinking.”
Olwen Williams, whose brother’s farm next to where she lives was bought out under compulsory purchase because of contamination, said people are no longer allowed to grow vegetables or keep chickens in the allotments that used to sit on that land which lies in the path of the water flowing down the mountain. She added: “It’s concerning that there are no signs to warn people because we’ve seen children making dens in the forest, people walk their dogs there, teenagers having parties up there and people also go around (eating) the hazelnuts from the trees that were planted on that contaminated ground.”
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In May 2021 the council had a drainage system installed which it said was designed to keep surface run-off separate from any contaminated liquid, also known as leachate. It claims the leachate does not leave council-owned land, with a spokesperson adding: “The improvement works have been designed to collect as much of the leachate as possible from the site and from the woodland below the site and encourage it into one location.
“Following its collection, the leachate and any surface water (from rainfall or from the cap drainage) from the site is naturally agitated to encourage some of the contamination to turn into a vapour, therefore improving the water quality before it is sent back into the ground.”
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However, photographs taken by the PA news agency show a brown foamy liquid overflowing from the drainage system and spilling through a fenced-off area down the mountainside towards the village.
Standing by the quarry, amateur chemical pollution investigator the Rev Paul Cawthorne said: “Where we’re standing here, I would probably say it’s about the fifth or sixth most chemically contaminated site in the UK. And, as you can see, it’s just running straight down the hillside into the local village. It’s not just that it smells, it’s the fact it’s chemical vapour which is a potential danger to health.”
The council said it plans to “undertake sampling of various springs and water courses around the site over the coming weeks”, but did not specify where. Natural Resources Wales said it has also collected samples following complaints, but the results from that analysis have not yet been published.
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