Pollution in Welsh Rivers

Part of 3. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 3:34 pm on 11 December 2018.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 3:34, 11 December 2018

In October, we corresponded about a pollution incident in the Afon Clywedog Dee tributary near Wrexham. Of course, specific pollution incidents are a matter for Natural Resources Wales. How do you respond to concern that the self-reporting procedure with water companies, now applied by Natural Resources Wales, takes away the proactive inspections that used to be in place and carried out by Environment Agency Wales staff, and to concern that the current redeployment of skilled fisheries enforcement officers will reduce the effectiveness of fisheries protection across the three regions of south-east, south-west and northern areas, including the upper Severn, and, particularly, on the cross-border working on both sides of the River Severn, and with the Wye and its tributaries, crossing again the England-Wales border?