WORK is progressing to clean a section of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal following another incident of pollution.

A screwdriver covered in wet wipes was the cause of the pollution at the Manor Road section of the canal in Risca on Wednesday, August 4.

Welsh Water were called in to clean the canal. One of the staff on site on Saturday morning said they were hoping it would be cleared soon and they were working on making sure it does not happen again.

He also said that they would be revisiting and educating the local people what should and should not go down drains to prevent another pollution incident.

South Wales Argus:

This follows a similar incident in October which saw a number of things including cement and toy cars causing a blockage, resulting in sewage entering the canal, killing all the fish.

One resident, Graham Reed, who lives near the canal said last week's incident had also results in fish being killed.

“It’s the second time in months this has happened, and we have lost all the fish in the canal," he said.

“The smell was absolutely foul.”

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On Saturday morning, there was little smell, and the only sign of any pollution was the dirty coloured water and the fact that Welsh Water were on the scene. Workers were using machines to push oxygen around the water and were measuring the quality.

South Wales Argus:

Mr Reed was, however, full of praise for the staff at Welsh Water and Natural Resources Wales. “I called them up and within the hour they were on site starting work to clean up and have been here every day since.

“They’ve been absolutely brilliant and can’t be faulted.”

Some of the wildlife returned to the area on the weekend – with ducks, moorhens and their chicks swimming through the water on Saturday morning.

A spokeswoman for Welsh Water said: “We were made aware of a pollution incident in the Brecon Canal on Wednesday evening.

“On inspection we found that a large mass of wet wipes had stuck to a screwdriver within the sewer and caused a blockage within the pipe.

"Our crews cleared the blockage before it caused any flooding to properties and to prevent further pollution to the local environment.

“We have written to local residents to explain what has happened and to raise awareness of the devasting consequences flushing wipes and disposing of rubbish in the sewer can have on homes, businesses and the local environment. 

“While the majority of people do the right thing and dispose of wipes and rubbish in the bin, there are still some that are unknowingly risking their family homes.

“This incident is a stark reminder that only the three 'Ps' should be going into your toilet - pee, poo and (toilet) paper - and everything else should either be recycled, if your local council provides this service, or put in the bin.

“Find out more at www.dwrcymru.com/stoptheblock.”