{"id":1103603,"date":"2026-07-22T00:45:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T00:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1103603\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T00:45:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T00:45:17","slug":"people-in-barry-raise-concerns-after-brown-foam-appears-at-waterfront","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1103603\/","title":{"rendered":"People in Barry raise concerns after brown foam appears at waterfront"},"content":{"rendered":"

Natural Resources Wales said their findings suggested the brown foam was caused by algae rather than sewage<\/p>\n

20:50, 21 Jul 2026Updated 20:51, 21 Jul 2026<\/p>\n

\"Natural<\/p>\n

Natural Resources Wales said they thought the brown appearance was caused by algae affected by the hot weather(Image: Jonathan Savery)<\/p>\n

Concerns have been raised after photos emerged showing a brown foam in Barry waterfront. Photos shared online show what some first thought was a large area of sewage in the water near the new housing development, not far from the seafront, on Monday, June 20.<\/p>\n

With the school holidays getting underway and the water feeding directly into the sea, locals had voiced concerns about the nature of the brown appearance of the water and the safety of swimming in the sea.<\/p>\n

However, Natural Resources Wales said there was no evidence of any sewage pollution but instead said they believed the brown foam was a result of algae which had been affected by the hot weather.<\/p>\n

They added that the waterfront is not designated for bathing and said people needed to be aware of the possible risks which could come with entering natural watercourses. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In June, NRW confirmed they had launched a programme of testing and investigation to understand where pollution is entering the rivers and streams which drain into the sea at Watch House Bay in Barry<\/a> and Ogmore by Sea.<\/p>\n

The two beaches are the only bathing spots in Wales which are classified as having “poor”<\/a> water quality by the NRW and Surfers Against Sewage warn against swimming at either of the beaches because of their poor annual classifications..<\/p>\n

A spokesperson from Welsh Water said: “We have investigated this issue and there is no evidence of any sewage spill or leak and all our assets in the area are operating as they should.<\/p>\n

“We will pass on our findings to Natural Resources Wales.”<\/p>\n

Associate British Ports also manage part of the waterways in the area. They said they were aware of the discolouration and said it had been found to be algal bloom.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson said: “Algal blooms are a natural occurrence and have been reported in a number of locations across the UK during the current warm weather. We continue to monitor the situation and are liaising with relevant partners.”<\/p>\n

\"NRW<\/p>\n

NRW warned that waterways can contain bacteria and said the public should know the risks associated(Image: Jonathan Savery)<\/p>\n

A spokesperson from Natural Resources Wales said: “We received a report of suspected pollution in Barry waterfront on 20th July.<\/p>\n

“Following an initial assessment, D\u0175r Cymru Welsh Water attended the location at our request and carried out an investigation. The investigation found no evidence of sewage pollution or any issues with nearby wastewater assets.<\/p>\n

“Based on the findings of the investigation, we believe the brown foam and water discolouration were caused by algae affected by the recent hot weather, rather than by a pollution incident.<\/p>\n

“As a precaution, we always advise people to be aware of the potential risks associated with entering natural watercourses. Waterways can contain bacteria and other contaminants from a range of sources that are not always visible.<\/p>\n

“Barry waterfront is not a designated bathing water and is not part of the bathing water monitoring programme. Public health matters, including advice on illness and infection risks, are led by Public Health Wales.”<\/p>\n

“Suspected pollution incidents can be reported to NRW via our 24\/7 incident line 0300 065 3000 or online<\/a>.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Natural Resources Wales said their findings suggested the brown foam was caused by algae rather than sewage 20:50,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1103604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3843],"tags":[29827,728,70,16,15,16706],"class_list":["post-1103603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-barry","tag-environment","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-welsh-water"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116960870316287818","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1103603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1103603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1103604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1103603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1103603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1103603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}