Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is investigating concerns about waste tipping on land near Pontarddulais, having inspected the site several times and confirmed that waste was deposited there without the necessary environmental authorisations in place.
The regulator said the site operator was told to stop the activity in January. Recent images show soil on a large raised area of land with a grassy slope, while an earlier image appears to show a large amount of debris piled up at the site.
Resident concerns and site activity
Concerns remain in the area about lorry movements to and from the site, occasional smoke said to be rising from it, and any potential impact of tipped waste on the nearby Camffrwd river. A person from the area, who asked not to be named, said people were worried about what he claimed was waste activity “on a massive scale”. He said: “I’ve seen the lorries go and up down there – it’s just never-ending.”
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has seen photos and footage of lorries heading towards the site north-east of Pontarddulais town centre, although it’s not clear for what purpose. Another person, who asked not to be named, said local people had seen large quantities of material accumulate on the land. He said: “Residents are concerned as to whether its storage and disposal are being undertaken in accordance with relevant waste and environmental regulations.”
He also claimed the narrow road leading up to the site had been damaged and said a water main ruptured, sending a fountain of water into the air. Welsh Water said it repaired a burst water main near Craig Fawr, Pontarddulais, on October 8, but the cause hadn’t been identified.
NRW investigation timeline
NRW said it was aware of the waste activity concerns. “Reports of suspected illegal waste activity were first received in August 2025,” it said. “The site was initially visited by an officer from Swansea Council before NRW assumed responsibility for the investigation in October 2025.
“Since receiving the report officers from NRW’s waste regulation team have undertaken several site inspections.
“Investigations established that waste had been deposited without the necessary environmental authorisations in place. As a result the site operator was formally instructed to cease activities in January 2026.”
It added: “Our investigation remains ongoing. To protect the integrity of that investigation we are unable to provide any further details at this stage.”
Operator response and local councillors
When contacted by the LDRS, the site operator said the only material brought on site had been “clean hardcore” and he’d “sorted all the drainage”. He then said no tipping had taken place, swore, and requested not to be contacted again. He also claimed waste had been taken to another area of land nearby and burned.
Pontarddulais councillor Phil Downing said he was very concerned about what had been going on at the site under investigation and that he’d asked the council to check the condition of a small humpback bridge leading to it. “I had a bridge person out and he said it’s strong enough,” said Cllr Downing.
Cllr Kevin Griffiths, who also represents the area, said he’d listened to residents’ concerns and contacted the council. “Swansea council said they raised it with NRW,” he said.
NRW has asked people to get in touch if they have concerns about the site under investigation via its online reporting form or by phoning 0300 0653000.
