The Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy and the Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, has called on residents to use Natural Resources Wales pollution number (0300 065 3000) at the first sign of concern. The hotline number is available 24 hours, seven days a week, with trained officers on call to assess the pollution report and attend if necessary.
Residents can call the line to report:
- damage or danger to the natural environment
- wildlife crime that has already been committed (current incidents should be reported to the police via the non-emergency number, 101)
- damage or destruction of bat roosts
- pollution of water or land
- poaching or illegal fishing
- fish in distress or dead fish
- suspected illegal tree felling
- suspected tree disease
A full list can be found by clicking here. Residents can also use the digital contact form to report their concern. The move comes after the Member reported a potentially serious sewage leak from infrastructure at Deganwy Beach, Conwy Estuary. The matter is now being investigated by officials.
Commenting, Janet said:
“As the CCRA3 report made clear, Climate Change poses a risk of damage to industrial infrastructure, increasing the possibility of flooding on contaminated land and historical landfill sites, and possibly leading to dispersed pollution events. Therefore, we should all now be on the lookout for any potential harmful environmental event.
“For this reason, I am readily encouraging residents to use the NRW incident hotline, ensuring that you provide officers with a grid reference if possible or otherwise accurate directions. Our response to the threat posed must be led by evidence and data, so it is incumbent on us all to be civically minded guardians of the land.
“Having reported an incident myself earlier this week, I know that it provides peace of mind to have trained officials look into potentially harmful practices. In the months ahead, I’ll be reviewing how we can make the reporting process even more intuitive in the modern age.”
ENDS
Photo: Janet Finch-Saunders MS/AS
