NRW warning to Caerphilly Council over Ty Llywd quarry

The Ty Llywd Quarry, previously run by the controversial Monsanto Company, was put into the hands of Caerphilly Council to manage, however all is not well, with the quarry leaking deadly toxic and carcinogenic chemicals down the beautiful valleys around Ynysddu towards the town.

Now, a letter has come to public attention, issued by environmental regulators Natural Resources Wales (NRW) last week, saying the site in question has committed environmental offences.

Caerphilly Council quickly released a statement on their Facebook page, following the discovery of the letter, admitting the contaminated waster in question is discharging on to the public highway below the site.

Councillor Janine Reed, of the Ynysddu ward, one of the first to see the letter, says the situation is still very murky, with the Welsh Government, Caerphilly Council, and Natural Resources Wales due to hold a secret meeting via Teams on Tuesday, July 4.

The notorious aeration chamber at Ty Llywd (Image: Newsquest)

‘A warning: Knowingly permitted pollution to the land’, Natural Resources Wales

The letter issued by NRW to Caerphilly Borough Council, dated June 20, begins ominously, saying in bold ‘warning letter’ before going on to explain to the council what offence it believes has been committed.

The letter states: “On January 3, National Resources Wales attended a reported incident of leachate flowing from Ty Llywd quarry.

“Investigations, including sampling undertaken, substantiated the pollution to land and water.

“We believe the site in question has committed the following offence by causing or knowingly permitting a water discharge activity."

Jon Goldsworthy, operations manager for NRW, said the warning was issued “based on the proportionality of the offence committed and the ongoing commitment CCBC (Caerphilly County Borough Council) are making in ensuring future discharges do not occur”.

He added: “We will also be recharging CCBC for our costs of responding to and investigating the incident under the polluter pays principle.

“It is likely that CCBC will require a permit to discharge to water or ground and they have appointed consultants to advise them of the necessary actions to control any further pollution from this site.

“We understand that CCBC are awaiting these proposals from their consultants.

“Once the proposals are available and actions are agreed, timescales will be imposed. Failure to abide with the agreed milestones may result in additional enforcement action.

“We will continue to work closely with CCBC to provide technical advice and guidance to tackle this issue and protect the environment, local communities and wildlife from the impacts of this legacy.”

‘I have waited for this letter for three years’, says environment warrior reverend

Rev Paul Cawthorne, who has fought the discharge at Ty Llywd from the beginning, said he was relieved the letter had finally been written.

“Finally NRW are making a show to do something about it,” said Reverend Cawthorne. “I think they are embarrassed they have let this go on so long.”

Cllr Reed was even more scathing of the process, saying the situation was still very much being handled in a cloak and dagger manner, with her and her colleagues not made aware of a crucial meeting taking place on Tuesday.

Cllr Reed said while the letter was a step forward, she felt not enough information was being given to the residents of Ynysddu.

“This affects people, and for them (NRW) to be so vague about the offence does not give people any reassurance.”

Reverend Paul Cawthorne (right) has fought the discharge from the very beginning (Image: PA Media)

Caerphilly Council admitted there were issues at the site and claimed all councillors were being updated.

A spokesperson said: “The level of rainfall caused the leachate drainage system serving the quarry to overtop, resulting in water containing leachate to leave owned land known as Pantyfynnon woodland and discharge on to the public highway below the site.

“Since the event, the council has continued to work in partnership with NRW in relation to Ty Llwyd and have recently entered in to pre-application discussions to determine whether there is a requirement for a formal water discharge consent to be in place at the site.

“Further technical assessments will be required to inform this process and the council will be working with their contaminated land consultants to progress this work and produce an updated management plan for the site.”

• Additional reporting by Danny Halpin, PA Environment Correspondent