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Huw Edwards weighs in on row over the state of the toilets at the National Eisteddfod

03 Aug 2022 2 minute read
The National Eisteddfod in Tregaron

Broadcaster Huw Edwards has weighed in on the row about the state of the toilets at the National Eisteddfod in Tregaron.

Visitors at both the main site and campsite have complained since the weekend that many of the toilets were blocked, the floors were dirty and there was no running water for handwashing.

There were also complaints of a lack of facilities for women on their periods and one woman pointed out that the fully fitted disabled toilet wasn’t wheelchair accessible.

Not good enough

She told the BBC: “They need to look at the facilities that they put on the caravan field and the main Eisteddfod site itself. It’s just not good enough.”

Taking to Twitter, the BBC News presenter, who spent the last two days on the maes in Ceredigion, described the toilets as “disgusting” and said they were the worst he’d seen since being in Iraq with the British army in 2007.

Huw Edwards comments responding to BBC Cymru Fyw’s post

The veteran broadcaster said: “I enjoyed two days on the maes apart from the disgusting toilets.

“The last time I saw facilities like these were with the army in Iraq… At least they had an excuse in the middle of the desert.

The quality on the maes is completely unacceptable.

“And any argument in response is a complete embarrassment.’

Responding to the row, the Eisteddfod’s chief executive, Betsan Moses, told Wales Online: “It was brought to our attention at the beginning of the week there were issues.

“We spoke to the cleaners, they addressed the issues, but of course now we have further issues.

“So, we’re working in partnership with different companies to ensure that we have additional staff to address these issues.”


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Gill Jones
Gill Jones
2 years ago

Mae Huw yn hollol iawn. Wedi bod ar y Maes ddoe, roedd y toiledau yn uffernol. Rown nhw yn fochedd, ddim yn fflyshio a dim modd i olchu dwylo. Gwarthus!

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 years ago

The first Glasto had to be ‘experienced’…I get the idea that they left it to the last minute and they found the events ‘shop’ nearly out of stock…

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago

Not exactly well set up if they are reliant on Portaloos. With so many visitors to a spread out site over two main areas and with food and drink I guess you would need up to 400 of them and that takes constant servicing by several teams.

Craig Ab Iago
Craig Ab Iago
2 years ago

Maybe we should be celebrating all the things they got right as well as hating them for the toilets. No other festival in Europe can get you constant electric, luxury showers, and functional toilets, in a field in the middle of nowhere, every year. Without fail.

The Original Mark
The Original Mark
2 years ago

He should have been at the Kent Hells Angels 10th anniversary show in 88, might have had something worth whinging about, the loos aren’t much better at the millennium stadium on a match day. And in other news, prospective english tory leader visits Wales to s**g off the democratically elected Welsh leader.

A Jones
A Jones
2 years ago

Report on the successes of the Eisteddfod – the many young people who have taken part; women winning 3 of the major literature competitions – and real important Welsh matters discussed by prominent Welsh leaders during this week.

Gaynor
Gaynor
2 years ago

Ymddiheuriwch a sortwch e mas, mae’r sefyllfa wedi gwaethygu yn flynyddol. Gwbl warthus, ond dwi heb clywed ymddiheuruad gan y Steddfod unwaith am gyflwr y tai bach. Maent yn risg i iechyd cyhoeddus ac yn dangos diffyg parch at y bobl sydd yn talu am yr Eisteddfod. For 2 years we have been told to wash our hands,the access problems are breaking disability regs, and they are also probably breaching public health regs. Ble aeth y caravans safonol buodd gyda nhw?

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago
Reply to  Gaynor

Ma’r cyfleusterau wedi bod yn warthus ers blynyddoedd. Cofio mynd i gyngherdd ar y nos Wener gynta’r Eisteddfod ar faes LLandow ‘nol tua 10 mlynedd nol ac rodd pethe yn drewi a dim yn gweitho pryd hynny. Byddech yn meddwl fod corff fel yr Eisteddfod yn dysgu gwersi yn flynyddol ac yn gwella’r ansawdd. Hala ichi feddwl taw tu ol i’r clawdd ma’ rhai o rhein yn gwneud eu busnes pan adre’ !

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
2 years ago

If you are bothered by the Eisteddfod toilets Huw have a read of Oliver Bullough’s report in the Guardian on the river pollution in England and Wales…

Huw please add your voice to those calling out the criminals that run the water companies. And anyone else on here have a read of it too, it’s quite safe, it is not George Monbiot…

Huw, why not kick the BBC into touch and become a media warrior for Wales…

Carol Ann Hayes
Carol Ann Hayes
2 years ago

Cytuno 100%. Yn waeth na dim, dim “papur” i sychu beth oedd angen ei sychu! Roeddwn yn lwcus dros ben bod gennyf hances boced papur yn fy mag. Wedyn, rhywun wedi pi-pi dros y sedd, a finnau heb sylweddoli!. Neb o gwmpas i sicrhau glendid y toiledau. Aeth fy mhen ôl a fy nhrowsus yn wlyb. Mam bach! Sôn am deimlo’n flin! Hefyd, dim dŵr (na ddim byd arall) i olchi dwylo.

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