River of waste ‘visible for miles’ dumped at mountain beauty spot

A farmer says she is “devastated” by a “disgusting” river of fly-tipped waste dumped down the side of a mountain.

Katie Davies, whose family has owned land on Bwlch Mountain in Treorchy for 90 years, said the clean up could cost thousands of pounds and could also harm her sheep which graze on the land.

Travel blogger Nathan Dixon, who captured drone footage showing the scale of the discarded waste, said the mess could be seen from “three to five miles away”, adding that it “sticks out like a sore thumb”.

Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it always took action to hold those responsible for fly-tipping to account, while Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said fly-tipping was a serious crime.

Davies, who runs small family business Nantymoel farm which produces Welsh beef and lamb, said the mess “keeps me up at night”.

She said it was not the first time waste had been dumped on the land, and praised Rhondda Cynon Taf council for its support helping her to clean it before, when volunteers dragged the rubbish down the mountain before the council disposed of it.

Davies said the clean-up operation would likely prove even more difficult this time, however, and may require specialist crews to drag it down from the sheer cliff face.

“I’m extremely frustrated and upset,” Davies said. “It’s just devastating.”

Not only is the waste an eyesore, it is also damaging to sheep grazing on the land as well as nesting birds and other wildlife, she said.

“It’s horrendous. It’s really heartbreaking. I need a long-term solution, I can’t keep doing this.”

Davies said she had asked the council to close the lay-by on the mountain from where the waste was fly-tipped.

Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it was “important to find the right balance between deterring what is blatant and reckless vandalism of this beautiful landscape, with the enjoyment of the thousands of conscientious visitors”.

Dixon, 37, who grew up in the village beneath the mountain, said he recently scattered his father’s ashes there and expressed his sadness at seeing such a special place treated with so little respect.

“That’s my father’s final resting place. He walked those mountains all of his life,” Dixon said.

“It’s where he always wanted to be.”

Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it had placed covert cameras and signs in the area and that it was looking at using new technology to help catch those responsible in the act.

“The Bwlch Mountain is home to breathtaking scenery that is world renowned – unfortunately, there are some shameless people who decide to fly-tip and dump their waste, spoiling it for the majority,” the council said.

“As a council we take fly-tipping incredibly seriously and always take action to hold those responsible to account,” it added, saying anyone found fly-tipping in the local authority would receive a fine of at least £400 and could face a criminal sentence.

It said many of the fly-tipped items could have been taken to one of its recycling centres or collected from the kerbside at no extra cost.

NRW said: “Fly-tipping is a serious crime that harms our environment, endangers wildlife and disrupts local communities. It’s also expensive to clean up.”

It said more than 70% of fly-tipping incidents in Wales involved household waste and were often the result of people unknowingly using unlicensed waste carriers who dump the waste, leaving people at risk of being fined.

“If you’re paying someone to remove your waste, you must check that they are a registered waste carrier,” NRW added.