CONFUSION was rife in Blaenavon earlier this week as a stretch of the Afon Lwyd river turned milky white.

Residents took to social media to share their confusion at the discolouration of the water.

Torfaen Councillor Jan Jones said that she received a phone call from a resident about the issue on Tuesday.

“I had just come in from a meeting and received a call from a resident walking her dog. She said that it seemed like there was white foam in the river.

“I reported it to the council who then got in touch with the relevant authorities.

“I went down there to see for myself and it was a bit foamy but not as bad as it sounded.

“When I went back down Wednesday morning, it was a lot cleaner but there was still foam there."

Natural Resources Wales were informed and went to investigate but when they got there, it seemed to have cleared.

READ MORE:

Catrin Grimstead, senior environment officer for NRW, said: “We were made aware of a possible pollution incident on the Afon Lwyd, Blaenavon and sent officers to investigate. No evidence was found at the time of our investigation.

“We urge anyone who spots a pollution incident to call our 24-hour incidents hotline on 03000 65 3000 with as much information as possible so that our officers can react and investigate as quickly as they can.”

Torfaen County Borough Council added that they were made aware and believed they knew what the issue was.

A council spokeswoman said: “We believe the incident of the Afon Lwyd turning white in Blaenavon is due to the on-going refurbishment of the mine water treatment reed bed adjacent (to the Afon Lwyd) at Forges.

“Natural Resources Wales have visited the stretch of river in question and couldn’t find anything untoward.

“We believe the river is now running clear.”