CEREDIGION County Council and Natural Resources Wales have left the River Teifi vulnerable to further cases of pollution in the six years following a major incident on the waterway.

That is the conclusion of a damning new report which accuses the two authorities responsible for protecting the River Teifi Special Area of Conservation of failing to ensure the safety of local wildlife.

Fish Legal , a not-for-profit organisation of lawyers who campaign to preserve the water environment, say the anaerobic digestor facility responsible for a major pollution in 2016 is still operating without planning permission.

On December 17 of that year approximately 44,000 gallons of pollutant leaked into the Teifi from an anaerobic digestion plant at Pencefn Dryscol, near Tregaron, killing an estimated 18,000 fish on a five-mile stretch of river.

“Six months later, the operator of the facility submitted an application to Ceredigion County Council for retrospective planning to retain the plant,” continues the report.

“Despite being in receipt of the application for over 5½ years, Ceredigion County Council have yet to make a decision on whether to grant full planning permission for the industrial site.

“Separately, Natural Resources Wales informed the site owner on June 30, 2017 that it would not agree to the plant operating until it had planning permission.

“The plant owner advised them on March 5, 2018 that the facility was not operational. yet a site visit carried out by officers a year later found it was.”

The regulator subsequently issued an environmental permit for the facility, despite raising ‘significant’ concerns of pollution risks from the ‘proposed development’ with Ceredigion County Council on at least three occasions since 2017, according to documents published on the council’s website.

Fish Legal objected to the planning application on behalf of angler members on the Afon Teifi and highlighted the case to Welsh Government Minister Lesley Griffiths.

The Minister responded in 2019 by saying the delay and lack of planning enforcement was a matter for Ceredigion County Council.

Penelope Gane, Head of Practice at Fish Legal, said: “Ceredigion County Council and Natural Resources Wales are the authorities responsible for protecting the River Teifi Special Area of Conservation.

“Yet between them, there are huge gaps in terms of planning, regulation and enforcement of this anaerobic digestion facility, leaving the river vulnerable to further pollution. “Not only is there a continuing threat to wildlife from another catastrophic failure at this site, but the impact of spreading of digestate in the catchment of a SAC river which is currently failing its phosphate targets has not been properly considered.

“In short, the oversight of this anaerobic digestor plant by the ‘competent authorities’ is a mess.”

Ann Weedy, NRW's Mid Wales Operations manager, said: “The planning decision is a matter for Ceredigion County Council.

“NRW has previously raised issues about this planning application and that we needed more information to ensure that we are can consider the likely environmental effect of the proposal.

“Further information has been provided, and therefore NRW is being reconsulted.

“We are currently considering the application and will respond to Ceredigion County Council.”

Ceredigion County Council have been asked to comment.