Pollution incident leads to £5k donation to Fishing for Schools in Wales

Fishing for Schools has been awarded £5,000 to fund courses for children in the Tregaron area of West Wales from money paid following the pollution of a five-mile stretch of the Teifi.

Pencefn Feeds Ltd agreed to pay £40,000 in reparation after 44,000 gallons of pollutant leaked into the river from an anaerobic digestion plant in December 2016, killing around 18,000 fish.

The money was paid to Natural Resources Wales. The West Wales Rivers Trust will receive £15,000 to restore fish habitat in the area and £5,000 has been donated to Fishing for Schools. The final £20,000 will cover the cost of the investigation and legal costs.

Ann Weedy, Mid Wales operations manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: "This has been a very complex and time-consuming investigation and we are pleased to see the financial penalty being used directly to repair some of the damage caused by this incident.

"We hope these payments serve as a reminder to businesses that we will take enforcement action if they pollute Wales' environment and don't operate responsibly."

And Rachel Evans, Countryside Alliance director for Wales said: "Fishing for Schools is grateful to receive this funding to help us reach out to more young people who benefit from our unique approach to education through angling.

"It is sad that this money comes from a pollution incident and resultant settlement but it highlights the ever present need to align conservation and the environment with our work in schools.

"Tregaron has always been a bedrock of angling within the Welsh community and heritage. We fully intend to enhance and extend that rich legacy by putting this award to good use."