Michael Sheen campaign on toxic waste sites wins Senedd backing

Senedd members from all parties have urged Welsh ministers to work with the UK government to make sure polluters pay for cleaning up contaminated land.

A motion introduced by Plaid Cymru MS Niamh Salkeld, backed across party lines, also calls for a UK fund to investigate and remediate sites where costs cannot be recovered, and for a framework to test affected land.

The calls come after a BBC documentary by Michael Sheen examined claims toxic waste poisoned people at 14 sites in Wales and England.

A Welsh government minister promised a plan to "progressively restore post-industrial land" and protect communities from "potential risks".

Earlier this month, Sheen went to Westminster to urge MPs to support a testing programme.

In the Senedd on Thursday, one member after another recounted in detail the history of sites in their area that they were worried about.

Salkeld, who represents the constituency of Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni, said her motion was about "making sure that the legacy of our industrial past is managed properly and fairly".

"It's about having a clearer national picture of contaminated land," she said.

"It's about prioritising the sites where the risks are greatest.

"It's about giving local authorities the support that they need, and it's about making sure that where possible, those responsible for pollution contribute to the cost of putting it right.

"The communities living alongside these sites did not create this contamination, so they should not be left with carrying the uncertainty, the potential risks, all the costs."

A number of speakers highlighted the results of a Freedom of Information inquiry by the environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth, indicating there were potentially over 45,000 contaminated land sites in Wales, with only 82 sites being designated as contaminated.

Reform MS Andrew Griffin said communities across Wales living near sites that are potentially unsafe "deserve answers".

"They deserve a system capable of establishing the facts, and where action is needed, they deserve to know that the money and the determination are there to see it through.

"As their representatives, the least we can do is to make sure their questions are heard and keep asking them until they get a proper answer."

Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates highlighted a combined pledge of more than £240m from the previous Welsh government, led by his party, and Labour ministers at Westminster for coal tip remediation.

He said this demonstrated "that all levels of government need to act fast and need to act together in partnership" to tackle this pollution.

"Councils, citizens and communities cannot afford the cost of remediation, nor can they afford to wait any longer for action."

He called on Plaid Cymru ministers to "stand up for the people of Wales by taking urgent action where it can now".

Conservative Janet Finch-Saunders said local communities "should be able to understand where these sites are located, what risks have been identified, what action is being taken, and whether that action is satisfactory".

"Regular inspections and up-to-date public registers would help," she said.

"We must ensure that lessons are learned from previous incidents where contamination occurs, the response should be timely, coordinated, and proportionate, with clear responsibility for investigating the source.

"This is not simply about dealing with contamination after it has occurred. It is about prevention, enforcement, and accountability."

Rural Resilience and Sustainability Minister Llyr Gruffydd promised the Welsh government was "absolutely committed to developing a Wales-wide strategy to progressively restore post-industrial land and to protect communities from those potential risks that come with that legacy".

He said he had heard the "calls for action", pledging he would "ensure that former industrial land is made safe".

"I will protect public health and deliver long-overdue environmental justice for the communities that have been most affected by this," he added.

The motion was passed with no objections.

• The documentary Buried with Michael Sheen is available to watch on BBC iPlayer