‘Environmental disaster’: Llandysul villagers were horrified after boat loads of waste were cleaned up on a stretch of the polluted River Teifi. 

More than 30 volunteers led by the village's Paddlers Canoe Centre and Club took to the water to clear up a five kilometre stretch of the much-loved river.  

Residents of the small Ceredigion village helped fill several boats with agricultural debris, metal and plastic hauled from the riverbed.  

The canoe club posted on Facebook: “Environmental disaster... 

“Simply the only way we can describe what we found today. We were prepared for rubbish, but it’s sad what we have found today.   

“From starting at 10am through to 2pm we cleared approximately 2km of river bank before our rafts, canoes and kayaks were filled to the brim - meaning we couldn’t clear anymore.  

“As a club, we will be going again next Saturday (meeting 10am again) with the aim of clearing what we couldn’t fit on today.   

“We’d like to thank the people who came down today, it was incredible to see so many club paddlers and members of the public.” 

The Teifi’s health has been on the radar of authorities for several years, with nitrate and phosphate pollution a particular concern. 

As the Cambrian News reported in November, analysis of environmental regulator Natural Resources Wales' (NRW) figures, shows the Teifi is victim to the most sewage discharges in Wales.

Robert Winter, a leading member of environmental group Llandysul Biodiversity, told the Cambrian News: “The river is stuffed full of agricultural debris including plastic, twine, metal and heaven knows what chemicals off the fields.  

“Absolutely none of the authorities have taken any responsibility and purely rely on volunteers to clear up.  

“This area has abundant wildlife and river birds, all of whom are having to live, eat and survive amongst all this plastic and rubbish.  

“Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has taken a water sample for me after the dead fish incident, so I am looking forward to seeing what that data might say about water quality.  

“We believe there are so many chemicals potentially flooding off the fields upstream of Llandysul now mixed with debris, its time the authorities got a grip!” 

Rachel Auckland from the Ceredigion County Council Biodiversity Team said: “Recently a group of volunteers looked at a 5km section of river Teifi near Llandysul, that they knew had a large amount of rubbish in it but all that attended were in shock at the amount they found.  

“The section has obviously had silage wrap and silage netting dumped directly into the river.” 

Dangerous levels of harmful phosphates, nitrates and other harmful substances in the Teifi are being closely monitored by authorities after NRW set new targets to reduce levels last year. Ceredigion County Council also set up the Afon Teifi Phosphate Reduction and Mitigation Project (PRAM) which is delayed by months and does not commit to any targets.

Water provider Dwr Cymru and NRW data shows there is approximately 45kg of phosphorous discharged on a daily basis in the Teifi, which mostly comes from agricultural output and sewerage plants while sewage overflows only contribute to about three per cent of it.

The state of the river has been deteriorating for so long that many nearby planning applications have been halted while it continues to be monitored. 

More than 60 per cent of Wales’ Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) rivers, including the Teifi, are failing against their phosphate target.