Farmer fined for polluting tributaries of the River Ely

A farmer has been prosecuted by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) for the “reckless” pollution of a two-mile stretch of a stream near Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Mr Huw Pritchard of Castellau Fach Farm pleaded guilty to causing silt pollution of the Nant Castellau, which flows into Nant Muchudd, a tributary of the River Ely.

In October 2022 members of the public reported discoloured water in the stream near Castellau Chapel.

An investigation by NRW revealed that the stream was being polluted by silt caused by construction work near the Nant Castellau on land adjacent to The Croft on Castellau Road.

The court was told that Mr Pritchard was constructing a pond and also banks near the stream to try to resolve flooding issues.

But he did not have the necessary permission from NRW and he had not put in place pollution prevention measures to stop silt laden water runoff from entering the watercourse.

High levels of suspended solids in rivers reduces the water quality and harms the ecology, killing most of the insects in the affected stretch, and at very high levels can also kill fish.

Fish

Silt pollution also decreases the level of oxygen in the water and hinders the growth of plants by reducing the amount of light passing through the water.

Siltation can also impact fish spawning grounds by smothering gravel beds and clogging up the spaces between the stones, reducing spawning and hatching of fish eggs.

At the sentencing hearing in Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on 31 July 2024, Mr Pritchard was fined £250 with a victim surcharge of £100 and was ordered to pay costs of £850 to NRW.

The level of fine for environmental offences is set by the courts and is based on the financial means of the defendants.

Mr Pritchard’s solicitor confirmed to the court that he was only making £150 per week as a farmer.

Fiona Hourahine, Operations Manager for NRW said: “We’re in a nature emergency so our work to protect our rivers from pollution is more important than ever.

“Although Mr Pritchard was cooperative during our investigation, the construction work he carried out so close to the stream without our permission or any mitigation measures in place to protect the stream was reckless.

“We will not hesitate to take enforcement action against people whose actions are polluting Wales’ rivers, damaging the environment and harming local wildlife.

“We would like to thank the people who reported the pollution to us through our incident hotline, which gave us the opportunity to act quickly to prevent further pollution.”