Cockle Mortality in the Loughor Estuary
On Friday the Council released a statement Welcoming an Assembly Government investigation into cockle mortality in the Loughor estuary.
On Friday the Council released a statement Welcoming an Assembly Government investigation into cockle mortality in the Loughor estuary. It states:
Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “I recently wrote to the Minister for Rural Affairs Elin Jones suggesting that because of the complexity of the problem a high-level investigation was necessary.
“Carmarthenshire will co-operate fully with Environment Agency Wales to ensure that it reaches a conclusion as quickly as possible, which should enable the industry to recover.
“Public protection officers are continuing to take samples of the shellfish from the Burry Inlet and the Three Rivers fisheries to ensure that they are fit for human consumption.
“Recent tests show that healthy cockles are perfectly fit to eat provided that they have been processed and cooked properly.
“Carmarthenshire County Council also works in partnership with Environment Agency Wales to monitor bathing water quality on a weekly basis during the bathing season, and all water samples show that Carmarthenshire has good quality water meeting the relevant standards.”
Cocklers and other campaigners have been questioning the chemicals and waste being released into the estuary for months and the County Council continue to deny that there is a problem with water quality, even after the death of a dog after swimming off Burry Port harbour. Traces of a highly toxic chemical were subsequently found in the dog’s system.
It is clear that the County council have only now been pressed into action by the recent headline stories in the national press. The Carmarthen River Festival and the Laugharne Regatta have both been cancelled as the Water Board could not offer guarantees that the waterways would be free from sewerage.
This shows another of the deceitful tactics used by the delusional Meryl Gravell. The unfortunate effect of their ignorance is that the Cockle industry could be wiped out at a time when many as struggling to find work in the area during tough economic conditions.