20220630A-WB-GRAC-GTCO-contam

Our ref: 20220630A-WB-GRAC-GTCO-contam 

30 June 2022

Dear Glynneath Town Council,

I refer to the attached letter sent to Councillor's Del Morgan and Simon Knoyle in their capacity as County Borough Councillors on 10 September 2021. Neither councillor has responded to this letter. We think that potentially there may have been some confusion as to which councillor had the responsibility to do this, however this is not the first instance that a reply has not been received from both councillors, and as such, we are concerned that again this may be the case. 

Similarly we have been blocked by the Neath-Port Talbot Council from asking questions that are relevant to the health of the residents surrounding the Heol y Glyn site. If we consider that it has been a landfill site for the majority of the last 85 years and there are eyewitness reports of barrels of waste being dumped at the site, then the movement of toxic waste around the site could cause problems to residents nearby with the release of carcinogens, mutagens and neurotoxins into the air. There have already been deaths in the houses closest the site that could potentially be linked to the contamination.

We are at a loss as to how to communicate with the Neath-Port Talbot Council so that the correct safety measures are observed at the site. The fact that contamination is exposed on the Heol y Glyn site and nothing is being done about it, is extremely concerning to residents living around the site and without our elected councillors representing our group and the planning department refusing to communicate with us, we are very concerned that this safety issue will not be resolved.

We would therefore request that the Glynneath Town Council contact the Neath-Port Talbot Council on our behalf and ask them to provide an update on the exposed contamination and also for them to provide details of its categorisation in accordance with the council's most recent Contaminated Land Strategy and the toxicological report associated with this. We would also urge that a remediation plan be put in place as soon as possible.

I trust this letter finds you in good health.

Yours faithfully

Jennifer Herbert, Monitoring Officer, Glynneath Residents Against Contamination. 

appendix i - letter to the Glynneath Councillors Morgan and Knoyle dated 10 September 2021.

appendix ii - chemical testing result from October 2020.

appendix iii - list of contaminants identified to be above safety guidelines.

appendix iv - information in the current Contaminated Land Strategy document showing that protocol in relation to the contamination identified at the site is not being followed.

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