National Resources Wales blasted over condition of River Cleddau

Hayley Jones

National Resources Wales (NRW) has been criticised as a petition which complained of shocking levels of pollution in the River Cleddau was debated.

At a council meeting today (5 March) Pembrokeshire County Councillors voted unanimously to back the Save the Cleddau petition and agreed that concerns about the river should be explored by the council’s scrutiny committee.

It also considered what action it can take to protect one of the area’s most significant waterways .

Campaigners are seeking to combat the ecological decline of the river and have uncovered shocking levels of pollution including locals say “water full of sanitary products”.

The petition was signed by over 2,200 individuals surpassing the 500 needed to trigger a full council debate.

Local MP Henry Tufnell has also voiced support for the campaign, calling for urgent action to restore the river.

During the debate, councillors questioned the role of pollution watchdog Natural Resources Wales. Councillor Alan Dennison said : “My concern is that we haven’t been able to identify NRW as deficient here but I have a total lack of confidence in that organisation. I’d like this council to write a letter to that effect, to tell them that we’ve lost confidence”.

Referring to the recent  Channel 4 programme “Dirty Business”, Councillor Simon Hancock said: “it makes my blood boil.” He argued the programme reflects the serious concerns that councillors were already raising about the state of the Cleddau.

Councillor Di Clements shared a case from her constituency in which a resident contracted E. coli after exposure to river water leading her to be hospitalised and have a dialysis line fitted for permanent kidney damage.

The Cleddau has been described by NRW as the poorest-performing protected river in Wales. Only 18 per cent of monitored water bodies in the East and West Cleddau are considered to be in good ecological status.

High levels of nitrates, phosphorus, and sediment have been recorded in the river and campaigners say nutrients have left the river with algae overgrowth that suffocates fish and invertebrates.

Sewage discharges

Sewage discharges have also been a major concern. In 2024, storm overflows recorded more than 34,500 hours of untreated sewage across 33 locations along the river. Agricultural runoff has contributed to the majority of pollution incidents, with 72 per cent of Eastern Cleddau incidents between 2016 and 2022 traced to farms.

Experts warn the river faces irreversible decline unless urgent action is taken.

The petition called for the council to implement a Clean Rivers Policy to restore the health of the river, while The Cleddau Project is also launching citizen science initiatives to recruit volunteers to monitor water quality.

Campaigners are pressing for stronger regulatory enforcement, better nutrient management, and clearer accountability from NRW and Welsh Water.