Natural Resources Wales has defended its handling of the Llanelli fly infestation, after two county councillors called for its chair to resign.
But the regulator’s statement does not directly address the resignation demand — or the councillors’ call for compensation for affected residents and businesses.
Glanymor ward councillors Sean Rees and Louvain Roberts called for the chair of NRW to quit this week over what they described as a “significant reversal” in the regulator’s position.
The independent councillors said Natural Resources Wales told BBC Wales on 7 July that it did not believe the AMG Resources site was the source of the infestation. The regulator’s own investigation later confirmed the site as a source — and an enforcement notice was issued.
In its response, NRW said it understood how “distressing and frustrating” the situation had been for those affected in the Seaside area.
A spokesperson for Natural Resources Wales said investigations into the source of a fly infestation were “detailed, evidence-led processes” involving inspections, monitoring, sampling and the exclusion of other potential sources.
“At the outset of this investigation, there was no clear evidence identifying a single source of the increased fly activity,” the spokesperson said.
The regulator said the investigation had been carried out jointly with Carmarthenshire Council to establish the source and inform any regulatory action.
“Our investigations have now substantiated that a source of the increased fly activity is AMG Resources Limited, a site permitted and regulated by NRW,” the statement continued.
The spokesperson said the enforcement notice requires the operator to address issues with the management of waste on site, and to bring operations back into compliance with its permit conditions within 21 days — which NRW said is the minimum period that can be specified under the relevant legislation.
Defending its earlier position, the regulator said: “Throughout this incident, NRW has worked on the basis of the evidence available at the time.”
“This has been a complex and evolving situation, with our understanding developing as investigations progressed and further evidence was gathered. The enforcement action taken reflects the findings of those investigations.”
NRW said it would continue to monitor the site “closely and regularly” to assess the operator’s compliance with the notice.
The statement makes no mention of the position of the regulator’s chair, and does not respond to the councillors’ call for compensation for residents and businesses who suffered financial loss.
Flies had swarmed homes, pubs and businesses in the Seaside area for weeks, with shops selling out of fly spray as the infestation took hold. An earlier stage of the investigation had cleared two sites without finding the source.
Cllr Rees and Cllr Roberts have pledged to continue pressing NRW, AMG Resources and the Welsh Government until the infestation is resolved and, in their words, “those responsible are held to account”.
