Rain gardens and car park revamps: £100k drainage grants to tackle flooding in Swansea and Carmarthenshire

Swansea streets in line for rain gardens

Swansea Council has scooped grants to draw up plans for rain gardens and other drainage features around Beach Street, St Helen’s Road and the Brynymor Street junction. The aim is to cut down on surface water flooding in busy city streets and stop polluted run‑off pouring into drains and streams.

Carmarthenshire car parks targeted

Carmarthenshire County Council will use its share of the cash to design drainage improvements at Llandovery Castle car park and Newcastle Emlyn car park. Both sites have long struggled with flooding, and the new schemes are intended to stop dirty water flowing into the Tywi and Teifi rivers — both protected Special Areas of Conservation.

Schools join the fight against flooding

The charity Trees for Cities has also been awarded funding to design drainage projects at three schools — St Cadocs, St Illtyds and Glyncoed — where rain gardens and other SuDS features could help keep playgrounds and classrooms dry while boosting biodiversity.

Sandfields shows what’s possible

The new funding comes hot on the heels of a rain garden already installed in Swansea’s Sandfields area, where planters and green drainage features have been used to soak up excess water and reduce flooding risk for residents. The Sandfields scheme has been hailed as a practical example of how sustainable drainage can transform urban streets — turning problem flood zones into greener, more resilient spaces.

Backed by Welsh Government

The grants, worth between £15,000 and £30,000 each, come from the Welsh Government’s Nature and Climate Emergency Capital Programme, which also supports peatland restoration, mine clean‑ups, fisheries and national forests.

“Greener, more resilient communities”

Helen Haider, Lead Specialist Advisor at Natural Resources Wales, said:

“These grants will help the five projects move another step towards creating greener, more resilient communities. Sustainable urban drainage solutions can help us tackle both climate and nature emergencies — reducing surface water flooding, pollution and enhancing biodiversity.”

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Rain gardens installed to tackle flooding in Swansea’s Sandfields
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Swansea Council launches green infrastructure strategy
New plan outlines how the city will use nature‑based solutions to tackle flooding, heat and biodiversity loss.

New recycling scheme targets farm plastic pollution in Welsh river catchments

A trial scheme to tackle plastic pollution from farms is being launched across south Wales, with the aim of improving river health and protecting endangered wildlife.

Led by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) through its Four Rivers for LIFE programme, the initiative will see new drop-off centres set up across four ecologically sensitive river catchments — the Teifi, Tywi, Cleddau and Usk — where waste such as silage wrap and feed bags has become a growing concern.

The scheme, delivered in partnership with Agricultural Plastics Environment (APE), Birch Farm Plastics, and Afonydd Cymru, aims to recycle an additional 200 tonnes of farm plastics over the next year. Farmers will be able to dispose of eligible materials at reduced cost, with centres opening at livestock markets in Talsarn, Crymych, Llandovery, Sennybridge, Raglan, and potentially Carmarthen.

“Healthy rivers support more than just wildlife — they help farming communities thrive,” said Chris Thomas, senior land management officer for Four Rivers for LIFE.

What farmers can recycle — and what they can’t

The scheme accepts a range of commonly used agricultural plastics, including silage bale wrap (in all colours), pit cover sheeting, fertiliser and feed bags, and feed buckets. These items can be dropped off without additional sorting.

However, some materials — such as bale twine, bale net wrap and string — require careful separation to be eligible for recycling. If not properly sorted, these items may be rejected at the drop-off centres, so farmers are being urged to prepare their waste accordingly.

River health and wildlife at risk

Plastic waste from farms can persist for years in river systems, entangling fish, birds and mammals, and blocking migration routes. All four rivers are designated Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) due to their rare ecosystems, including salmon, lamprey, and otters.

A 2023 WRAP report found the UK’s agri-plastic recycling rate sits between 20–30%, far behind countries like France (80%), Germany (65%), and Ireland (90%).

The new trial is backed by funding from the EU LIFE Programme, Welsh Government, and Welsh Water, and builds on previous success in west Wales.

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#Carmarthen #Crymych #Farming #Llandovery #NaturalResourcesWales #PlasticRecycling #Recycling #RiverCleddau #riverPollution #RiverTeifi #RiverTywi

‘Buyer beware’ says environment body with suspicious salmon warning

NRW say it’s illegal to keep any wild salmon caught in Wales and anyone buying wild sea trout is advised to ensure the fish are tagged and have been legally caught from licensed net fisheries.

Any sea trout caught in a licensed net fishery in Wales must have a NRW carcass tag attached through its mouth and gills. This must remain attached until the fish is processed.

These carcass tag measures were introduced to crack down on illegal selling of salmon and sea trout and protect vulnerable fish stocks.

It is against the law to buy, sell, offer to sell or barter any wild salmon and all salmon caught by either net or rod fisheries must be returned alive with minimum injury and without delay.

NRW warn that Handling Salmon in Suspicious Circumstances is an offence and any person who receives or disposes of any salmon in circumstances where they believe, or could reasonably believe, that the salmon has been illegally caught could face prosecution.

Last month, a Pembrokeshire coracle fisherman admitted illegally catching  and selling a protected salmon caught on the Afon Teifi.

NRW officers say they became suspicious after seeing a Facebook post from a local restaurant advertising a locally caught sewin on its menu, with investigations later revealing the fish was actually a salmon.

The fisherman was given an unconditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 court costs.

Jeremy Goddard, Industry and Waste Regulation Team Leader for NRW, said: “Wild salmon and sea trout populations are at risk across Wales and beyond.

“To protect their numbers and safeguard licenced  net fishing and angling, only farmed salmon and sea trout, along with wild sea trout (also known as sewin in Wales) caught in legal net and trap fisheries, can be bought and sold in Wales and England.

“We take any activity that threatens our wild fish stocks extremely seriously and this is especially true of illegal fishing.

“In addition to patrolling Welsh rivers and estuaries, we will be carrying out compliance visits of businesses and individuals advertising and selling wild sea trout, as well as our licenced net fisheries in Wales, to ensure all fish are legally sourced.

“We are urging the public to help in the fight against illegal fishing to protect fish stocks for our future generations.

“If you are offered the sale of salmon and untagged sea trout or if you see any suspicious or illegal activity on our rivers, please report it to the NRW incident hotline on 0300 065 3000 or report it to NRW via its online report it form.”

#illegalFishing #NaturalResourcesWales #Pembrokeshire #RiverTeifi #Salmon #Sewin

Cabin in the woods by the river

#cabin #woods #RiverTeifi