Social media users voiced concerns of what appeared to be sewage discharge rearing its head around Watchtower Bay and the Old Harbour, highlighting that the Dwr Cymru spillage map had indicated a discharge from a storm drain in the area around May 18.
Campaigners from Surfers Against Sewage were at Whitmore Bay that same weekend, sharing their growing concern about water quality, with the group saying that more than half of UK residents (53 per cent) saying they fear getting sick from swimming in rivers, lakes or the sea.
They also say that nearly one in six (17 per cent) reports either they or someone they know has already fallen ill from sewage pollution.
Campaigners have pointed to a troubling record of sewage discharges in Wales, with protestors saying that Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water released sewage more than 100,000 times in 2025, for over 813,000 hours in total.
Surfers Against Sewage said 202 people in Wales reported becoming ill after entering polluted water during the same period.
Giles Bristow, chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage, said: “Wales’ water system is catastrophically failing: polluted waters, sky-high bills, and a dire lack of accountability.
A Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water spokesperson told the Barry and District news that Barry saw some heavy rain during the aforementioned period, which resulted in some storm overflow spills.
They said: “Storm overflows are essential to stop sewage and storm water from backing up into customers’ properties during periods of heavy rain.
“Due to the volumes of water in our network during this time the spills are heavily dilute.
“However, we know how important water quality is to our customers, which is why we are investing £4bn, including £2.5bn on environmental projects, between now and 2030.
“This includes £889m on storm overflows and a further £42m on eight schemes to target improving bathing and shellfish waters.
“River pollution and marine water quality is not just an issue for water companies. We need to work together with other sectors who impact water quality to ensure improvement.”
