A report on water companies by Natural Resources Wales found that Welsh Water was responsible for 107 “pollution incidents” in 2023.

Publishing its performance report on for the two water companies operating in Wales, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) found the former had “failed” to make improvements.

The report, published on July 23, found that over the course of 2023 Welsh Water was responsible for a total of 107 sewage pollution incidents during 2023 and seven “serious pollution incidents”, rising from five in 2022.

The result means the company will stay at a two-star rating this year, with NRW issuing a “stark warning” to the company that it needs to turn the tables on its downward performance trends.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW said: “Despite increased pressure from ourselves as regulators, and from politicians and the public, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water have failed to make the kind of improvements we want and expect to see.

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“It is unacceptable that we are now seeing a year-on-year increase in significant pollution incidents, at a time where so much is being invested in improving our rivers and water quality for nature and people.

“In response, we continue to use all the enforcement tools available to us to drive improvements.  We are pursuing several formal investigations, including potential prosecutions relating to incidents and issues of permit compliance. While these processes can take time, we are absolutely committed to seeing them through.”

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water provides drinking water and wastewater sewerage to the majority of Wales.

In response to the negative report, A Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with the assessment rating and acknowledge that our performance is not where we want it to be.

“Dŵr Cymru takes its environmental responsibility seriously, we apologise for any environmental harm we have caused and are working tirelessly to deliver the improvements required in challenging circumstances.

“Climate Change and severe weather events are having an increasing impact on our infrastructure and is challenging how we deliver our services.

(Image: NQ)

"During 2023 there were 10 named storms that brought with them complex problems that we had to overcome.

"The difficult operating conditions meant that all water companies in England and Wales saw an increase in pollution incidents in 2023."

NRW’s report also found that Hafren Dyfrdwy, which provides wastewater services to some border counties in north and mid Wales, “improved” from 2022.

Clare Pillman added: “While there are always improvements to make, we are pleased to report that Hafren Dyfrdwy’s performance has improved from last year.

“We would like to see the company to build on this accomplishment and continue to drive further improvements during the 2024 reporting period.”