Vandals cause £250k damage to water treatment site

CCTV footage has been gathered of youths breaking in at Caernarfon wastewater treatment site

Police are investigating after vandals caused £250,000 worth of damage to a wastewater treatment site in a series of incidents.

Welsh Water said security guards had seen a group of youths at the firm's Caernarfon site in Gwynedd and CCTV footage had been gathered of them breaking in.

The site cleans and treats sewage wastewater for over 12,000 homes and businesses in the area.

Police were called to the site over a three-week period in June, Welsh Water said, after windows and doors were shattered and specialist machinery tampered with and thrown into water tanks.

Welsh Water warned the site contains very deep, aerated tanks

The site's perimeter fencing has also been damaged.

In a separate incident, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service had to attend the site after trees were set on fire.

Additional security measures have now been introduced at the site, including CCTV and a full-time security guard, Welsh Water said.

It added a security guard had been attacked by a group who threw stones and other objects.

Vandals also set fire to trees on the site

Victoria Collier, catchment manager for Welsh Water, said the break-ins were "very concerning", adding customers' bills should not be used to pay for damage.

"Beyond the financial implications and environmental harm, our biggest concerns are for the health and safety of those involved," she said.

"The site contains very deep, aerated tanks, which means that should anything or anyone fall in, they would be pulled to the bottom and unable to float."

North Wales Police urged parents and carers to check where their children were during the evenings and to warn them about the risks involved in trespassing on the site.