Natural Resources Wales blasted for refusing to remove portaloo washed up on river bank five years ago
Emily Price
Natural Resources Wales has been blasted for refusing to remove a crushed portaloo that washed up on the banks of the River Taff during Storm Dennis five years ago.
South Wales Central MS Heledd Fychan posted an image of the mobile toilet cabin to X this week saying she had asked NRW and Rhondda Cynon Taf Council several times over the last few years to remove it.
The portaloo became caught up in trees on the banks of the river near Berw road in Pontypridd during Storm Dennis in February 2020.
Flooding
The powerful storm system brought heavy rain which caused major flooding in Wales with rivers like the River Taff in Pontypridd reaching record high levels.
NRW is the Welsh Government sponsored body tasked with maintaining Wales’ river watercourses and flood defences.
It also tackles nature and pollution emergencies by cleaning up rivers and coastal waters and improving wildlife habitats.
NRW says it won’t send a team to remove the damaged toilet cubical from the River Taff’s banks because there is no flood risk benefit in doing so.
Tim England, Operations Manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: “As part of our flood risk management responsibilities, we can remove large items in or on the banks of main rivers if we assess it to be increasing flood risk by restricting river flows.
“This item isn’t increasing flood risk, and we don’t have the powers or resources to spend public funding to remove rubbish from rivers when there is no flood risk benefit.”
Responsibility
Ms Fychan says that if it isn’t NRW’s responsibility to remove the toilet – then who should?
She said: “After 5 years of asking for the portaloo to be removed, I’m astounded to hear that Natural Resources Wales – the organisation tasked with protecting Wales’ environment and driving action for nature recovery – is happy for a portaloo to remain a permanent feature on the River Taff’s banks.
“If rubbish in, and around, our rivers isn’t of concern to them, then who’s responsibility is it?”
The Plaid Cymru MS now plans to find another way to remove the toilet cabin.
She said: “I’ll now be supporting local residents to organise a clean up of the banks, including a plan to remove the portaloo safely.
“Whilst volunteers are always happy to play their part in tackling the climate and nature emergencies, they shouldn’t be expected to arrange the removal of large objects such as this, so I will also be pursuing the matter further with Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Government.”
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council were contacted for comment.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
If the portacabin was to be removed, it should then be taken to Ty Cambria, Newport Road, Cardiff or taken to the home of Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW.
The land owner is responsible not NRW. Who owns the land?
You think so?
I’d have thought that the owner of the portaloo was ultimately responsible.
Either way, neither of us things NRW is responsible.
I believe that the land owner is responsible because that is the case for fly tipping on private land.
I thought that in the case of fly tipping it was the person who dumped the rubbish that was responsible and not the person whose land the rubbish was dumped on. In this case though if the land owner retrieved the port a loo would he have to pay to dispose of it? If so he’d be better off having it slip from his grasp and it floating off downstream to block a culvert and become a flood risk.
For fly tipping it is the person whose land it is that is required to pay for the clean up. It is a crime, and I think they can recoup the money from the perpetrator, but since they are rarely found, the cost is on the land owner.
https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/faqs/advice/fly-tipping-and-law
If it got there via the river, it is harmful tp the natural environment leaching micro plastics into the ocean. An environmental crime ?
This is essentially litter and waste, which is clearly the responsibility of the local council to remove. It’s not NRWs job in this case. NRW has its flaws but on this they’re absolutely correct.
No doubt it should be removed, but whoever does it should send the bill to the owners of the portaloo.
Probably left there in case someone needs it in a hurry. Very considerate.
Surely, this is plastic and as such, it is leaching micro plastics into the river, and hence the sea. The river authority should be held to account, and prosecuted for its failure to protect the natural environment from this known harm. Any community minded lawyers out there?
If it had been the local Labour MS or MP, making request I would suspect the response from NRW and RCT would be quite different.
NRW is the enforcement body for the environment. The landowner is the responsible party for or acting on an environmental offence. This is RCT. It’s the riverside verge of Berw Road owned by the council. If the landowner does not act within 14 days when a compliance order being issued (by NRW) then NRW can do it themselves or commission a contractor to do so. The bill payable by the landowner, RCT. Not a unique situation, happens regularly. Usually resolved by a quick email call to a responsible local authority. Different rules if it’s tidal hence the abandoned boats issue… Read more »
Thus summing up problems in the UK , let’s argue about whose fault it is rather than realise it’s a problem let’s deal with .
I rang the police, they said they didn’t have anything to go on