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Wales Online readers are horrified to hear that thousands of small plastic discs from a Swansea wastewater treatment plant have washed up on beaches across Swansea, Gower and Neath Port Talbot , sparking anger among locals and environmentalists. Welsh Water confirmed the pollution came from its Fabian Way facility after a power failure coincided with heavy wastewater flows. The company said new safeguards were now in place to prevent it from happening again. Killay resident Chloe Stacey said she was shocked to find “thousands” of the discs scattered along Swansea beach. “They absolutely plagued the high tide line,” she said. “They’re so small – anything could eat them.” She added that removing those trapped in seaweed would require “manual collection.” Welsh Water said most of the discs — roughly the size of a pound coin — had since been recovered, with staff and volunteers continuing beach inspections. The discs have been reported at Langland, Caswell, Three Cliffs, Pwll Du, Tor Bay, Oxwich, Port Eynon, Mewslade, Slade and Rhossili. Natural Resources Wales has launched an investigation and continues to monitor local beaches. Neath Port Talbot Council confirmed cleansing teams had removed some of the plastic debris, while Swansea Council has yet to comment. Lloyd Nelmes, aquarium manager at Sea Trust Wales, warned the discs could harm marine life. “Plastic like this can be ingested by fish and seabirds. It also breaks down into microplastics that bind to toxins like dioxins, which can be devastating to ecosystems,” he said. He added that wastewater treatment plants should be fitted with better screening systems, saying: “Any plastic entering the sea is not great. Microplastic is absolutely everywhere – it’s dangerous and persistent.” Commenter #123# is angry: “Welsh water needs to sort their rubbish out! They are polluting our beautiful sea and wildlife.” Jeffwales68 agrees: “No excuses, no dressing this incident up for effect, the company responsible should be fined heavily and senior management warned appropriately. I think Welsh Water is a shambles from top to bottom and they continue to make millions due to waste and poor infrastructure, despite their spurious claims suggesting they are not for profit. Disgraceful and shambolic.” Knowhow replies: “It's no good fining them because we'll end up paying it. They should put the senior management in high Viz suits and get them to sweep the streets and clean graffiti off buildings then they might do something about it!” Cantonblue adds: “Agree it’s pointless fining the Water Company and pointless “warning” the senior management. We should make them accountable to the courts, the same as any other person who causes or creates environmental damage.” Steve the gas says: “It's not only WW, but Thames Water, Southern Water and pretty much every other water company are the same. All sewage and drains are on the same network and they can’t cope with heavy rain.” Shameonministers suggests: “Fine them big time and someone should start a court case! These discs have not been cleaned up, thousands still seen today in Langland and Caswell Bays. This is awful news, someone should be accountable and a court case brought before the company.” Sue Warner is unhappy: “It seems, no matter what we the public try to do to protect our rivers and seas from pollution, our water companies are determined to pollute, pollute, pollute!” Davina Alexandra O'Brien-Roberts replies: “Exactly, we recycle yet where's their commitment to the environment, dumping sewage into the sea is bad enough.” Are you outraged by this pollution on Welsh beaches? What action do you think Welsh Water should take to fix it? Share your thoughts in the comments.
