Seeing red over ‘increasing dust levels’ in town
RISING levels of red dust have sparked complaints across Port Talbot.
Drivers have been noticing the coloured dust clouds as they hit the roads around the town and residents have been complaining at the pollution levels.
Some residents are blaming the issue on the town’s Tata steelworks.
One resident, who did not wish to be named, said both people and animals were suffering due to the scale of the problem.
He said: “We have tried to contact the Environment Agency over the increase in dust.
“I even presented ONS (Office for National Statistics) statistics for respiratory illness in the authority.
“There is red dust that gets pumped out of the steelworks. They used to do it more by night so that it’s not seen. It is on all the windowsills of houses, mainly in the Sandfields area.”
The resident added: “Pets are sick when it’s bad as they lick their paws.”
Historically, Port Talbot has been subject to high levels of airborne particle pollution, known as PM10 (particles less than 10 microns in diameter), which is linked to the industrial nature of the area.
It has led to the designation of an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) by the Neath Port Talbot Council.
The AQMA covers the majority of the residential area between the steelworks and the M4 motorway.
PM10 emissions are generally linked to the steelworks complex but there are also emissions linked to other sources, ranging from road transport and road salting, along with construction projects and natural sources.
People have complained for years that their washing has turned red due to the dust and described the situation as a “nightmare”.
Sean Pursey, who is Labour candidate for Sandfields East, said he was aware of the problem as he was a member of the Tata Steel Joint Consultative Group, which also includes councillors across the area.
Representatives from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) also form part of the group.
Mr Pursey said: “There’s two elements to it, I suppose, in the sense there is the red dust falling on properties and also visible emissions from the works itself.
“I meet with Tata and NRW as part of my role, and know of the action being taken to address some of the issues.
“The first thing I saw when joining is that there has not been much progress on the nuisance dust issue for a long time. This is the dust that people are opposing, such as red dust on the windowsill and in their gardens, particularly in the Mariners Quay in Sandfields and Mariners Point in Sandfields.
“We have residents who complain and get Tata out washing their cars and their driveways.
“We were looking to set up an event to get people from Tata and residents together to get people reporting issues. But some people have given up on reporting it and it does not help us when we’re trying to press for action. We say there is a problem and Tata or NRW might say we only have had a few complaints from Sandfields.”
Mr Pursey added: “There are a few things that the steelworks have done to make improvements such as the de-dust projects but it’s not done much for the dust and the issues faced by residents in Sandfields, which is coming from other areas in the plant.”
Last year, Tata commissioned a new emissions control unit at its Port Talbot plant following a £20m-plus investment in new filtration systems, which is delivering reduced levels of particulate emissions.
The company said steps have been taken to improve its complaint management process at Port Talbot with a community support line and its website.
A Tata Steel spokesman said: “We take our relationship with the community and environmental responsibility seriously. If any member of the community has concerns, they are able to register a complaint via our 24/7 community support line on or by registering a complaint via our website. All complaints are then investigated by our Environment Team.
“We continually make investments to improve our environmental performance across our Port Talbot site.”