A NEW Quay seafood factory is being forced to slash the amount of shells it deposits on the town’s beaches.

Quay Fresh and Frozen Foods Ltd had applied to deposit 2,000 tonnes of shells, which are produced from their processing activities, per year over the next three years.

But having heard claims that the shells caused injuries to beachwalkers and damaged boat engines, Natural Resources Wales granted a one-year licence enabling the frozen foods company to deposit a maximum of 450 tonnes of clean, crushed whelk shells into the sea.

The decision has been welcomed by New Quay residents who have been voicing concerns since shells first started being deposited in the mid-1990s.

Back in May, Roger Couch, lifeboat operations manager of New Quay RNLI, claimed shells were having an adverse effect on water craft.

Welcoming NRW’s decision, county councillor Gill Hopley said: “This is something the people of New Quay have spent a number of years fighting for.

"The beaches are obviously very important to the local economy and these whelk shells are quite sharp. I have been pushing for Quay Fresh to consider alternative methods of shell disposal for a long time and I hope NRW help them on this."

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