River devoid of life following sewage leak, say residents

A river has become "devoid" of life after what residents claim is a sewage leak near a river.

Pictures of murky sections of the Afon Kenfig river, which straddles the border between Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot, have been posted online, while there have also been reports of a strong smell of sewage.

Welsh Water said it was carrying out a project to replace a sewer main in the area and had installed a temporary sewage pumping station, with further upgrades for water treatment expected to take two months to complete.

Natural Resources Wales said it was "aware and investigating" recent incidents linked to the sewage pumping station and the wastewater network in the area.

Residents have this week reported grey sewage deposits and a strong smell of sewage at the river, close to the Kenfig Nature Reserve.

Fisherman Stuart Mears said he believed sewage had been going into the river for many months, and that it had been "absolutely devastated".

"The river is now devoid of life. All the fish and invertebrates have died from the pumping station downwards and a lot of the bank-side creatures have left the area as well," he said.

"This has affected around two to three miles of the river down to the sea. Local people are up in arms about it because those who use the reserve can't go near the river now."

Elaine Winstanley, a local councillor, raised concerns about the impact on local wildlife.

"This is an area where you've got kingfishers, you've got herons… you've got lots of fish, and all of those are at risk," she said.

Local environmental charity, A Peace for Nature, described it as one of the worst sewage pollution incidents it had seen.

Welsh Water said it was working on a £13m project to replace 2.7 miles (4.5km) of sewer mains in the area following the "escalated deterioration" of the current main. It apologised for the impact of the work.

A spokesperson added: "We have installed a full wastewater treatment process at Marlas Sewage Pumping Station, marking a significant improvement on previous arrangements of using tankers to remove waste.

"We are continuing to closely monitor performance and are assessing the impact of the new treatment process on a daily basis."

Laying additional sections of pipe on land owned by multiple owners was "taking some time", Welsh Water said, adding: "We anticipate it will take around two months to complete."

Natural Resources Wales said it was "aware and investigating" several recent incidents linked to the Marlas sewage pumping station and the wastewater network in the Kenfig area of Bridgend.

It said it was working with Welsh Water to deliver necessary improvements to their assets.

"We will continue to regulate the site closely and monitor the situation to ensure impacts on the river and the wider environment are minimised," it added.

Additional reporting by Danielle Herbert