New Quay shellfish waste dumping licence granted

A frozen food company has been granted a licence to continue to dump shellfish waste into the sea in Ceredigion, despite opposition.

Quay Fresh and Frozen Foods Ltd in New Quay can deposit up to 450 tonnes of clean, crushed whelk shells into the sea for a year.

Residents had complained the waste caused injuries when it washes up on to the beach.

But Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said it did not have an unacceptable impact.

Residents complained washed up shells on New Quay caused injuries

The company had applied to dump 2,000 tonnes of shells, which are produced when it processes its foods, every year for the next three years.

But a one-year licence was granted for the reduced amount and NRW said it had given the firm advice on alternative ways to dispose of or reuse the waste.

Eleanor Smart, of NRW, said of the decision: "The surveys and public consultation showed that depositing the whelk shells does not have an unacceptable impact on the environment, or pose a significant risk to human health.

"However the shells do cause a nuisance which can affect other uses of the beach and sea, and this is why we have reduced the quantities permitted for disposal, as well as the duration of the licence."