**Campaigners Rally Against Sewage Spills at Gower Beauty Spot, Urge Welsh Water to Act**
A wave of public concern washed over Bishopston, Gower, last weekend as a determined group of residents and campaigners gathered outside the local wastewater treatment works. Their message was clear: urgent action is needed to reduce the volume of raw sewage spilling into the sea at one of Wales’ coastal gems.
Demonstrators, many of whom are locals, attached posters and hand-written pleas to the gates of the Bishopston facility. Their demands centred on a call for Welsh Water to upgrade and future-proof its infrastructure in order to prevent repeated discharge of untreated wastewater into the sea. The protest was prompted by growing dismay over the impact of sewage releases on both the natural environment and the health of those who use the area for recreation.
The event was organised by David Haines-Hanham, a resident who has experienced the issue first-hand. Recalling an outing with his daughter Mabli, he described the moment they encountered a “brown slick” atop the sea near Brandy Cove, just south of Bishopston. He said the stench was “unmistakable” and, disturbed by the sight and smell, they left the water immediately. Incidents like these, he claims, have become all too frequent, and are contributing to an atmosphere of frustration among locals.
Mr Haines-Hanham reported multiple occasions when water quality appeared compromised, including immediately ahead of an autumn storm and even after several days without rainfall. In one instance, his young son became ill after playing in a cloudy rock pool, an experience which he suspects, though cannot conclusively prove, was linked to contaminated water.
Concerns have intensified in recent years, with campaigners like Mr Haines-Hanham expressing dissatisfaction with Welsh Water’s response. He argues that while improvements were made in the 1990s, subsequent investment has failed to keep pace with demand and environmental pressures. “We expect the money from our bills to address the situation,” he remarked, suggesting that customers feel let down by the utility.
Welsh Water, for its part, has acknowledged the heightened public anxiety surrounding water quality. The company says it will invest £2.5 billion in environmental improvements from 2025 to 2030. Data released by the utility show a worrying trend at Bishopston: 30 hours of sewage spills were recorded in 2022, jumping to almost 89 hours in 2023, and surpassing 360 hours already in 2024—a spike partly attributed to unusually wet weather at the start of the year.
Local councillor Lyndon Jones has been maintaining a dialogue with both residents and Welsh Water. He highlighted a glaring oversight: Brandy Cove is not included in the water quality testing scheme run by Natural Resources Wales during the bathing season. “This really needs to change,” said Cllr Jones, adding that he is pursuing options to include both Brandy Cove and nearby Pwll Du beach in future monitoring programmes.
On a broader scale, untreated wastewater typically enters rivers and ocean waters via overflow systems, designed to relieve overloaded sewers during periods of intense rainfall. Problems are compounded by poorly connected domestic and commercial pipework, which further strains existing infrastructure. Last month, Welsh Water was fined £1.35 million after failing to adequately monitor water quality at 300 sites—a breach which covered the years 2020 to 2021.
In response to mounting criticism, Welsh Water points to its record levels of investment and highlights that 98% of Wales’ designated bathing waters now meet stringent European quality standards, with nearly 70% classed as “excellent”. The company stresses that overhauling the overflow system entirely would necessitate extensive and costly civil engineering—costs that would ultimately be borne by customers.
Campaigners in Bishopston, however, remain adamant that further action is required, particularly to safeguard the health of swimming and paddle-boarding enthusiasts. They hope that demonstrations like this will inspire grassroots action elsewhere in Wales, fostering a groundswell of community demand for cleaner, safer waterways.
With water bills set to rise by 42% by 2030, many local residents expect to see real progress in return. The coming years will likely test the resolve of both utility providers and communities as they strive to balance urgent environmental needs with the practicalities and costs of long-term infrastructure improvements.