Welsh Government sponsor and guardian of Wales’s natural resources
The UK is facing a heatwave with temperatures reaching into the mid-30s by midweek and warnings of drought across large parts of England and Wales. Authorities say millions are under water-use restrictions as dry conditions intensify, with new heat alerts and potential hosepipe bans.
Michael Sheen’s two-part BBC/Independent documentary investigates claims that polychlorinated biphenyls were dumped across Wales and nearby England. The programme finds residents near waste sites with elevated PCB levels and several cancer cases, prompting renewed calls for accountability from authorities and polluters.
BBC reports that actor Michael Sheen has pressed MPs to back a national PCB testing and cleanup programme after tests showed elevated contamination at sites linked to Monsanto. The Welsh government calls contaminated land a key priority, amid questions over who should fund testing and cleanup. The Welsh Affairs Committee is also hearing from researchers and journalists who documented findings.
Conservationists are building ark populations of Myxas glutinosa, a critically endangered snail, in Wales and across England. Ian Hughes has long studied them in Llyn Tegid, aided by his family, with eggs spotted after months in captivity. The project aims to restore the species to the wild under government support.
Kerosene from a GE Aerospace site has entered the River Taff in South Wales, triggering advisories for residents to keep windows closed. NRW and fire services are containing the spill as investigations continue; river impacts span several miles with reported fish and invertebrate harm and ongoing containment efforts.
The theft of a narrow-headed ant nest from Chudleigh Knighton Heath reserve in Devon has been reported. The nest holds thousands of ants and long-lived queens. Conservationists say the loss threatens the last England population and could set back years of work. Police are investigating and urge public information.