Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will seek urgent advice on the occurrence of a red slime on the beach at Blackpill, Swansea, on 7 May; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GristI am advised by the National Rivers Authority that it has analysed a sample of the slime which was found to comprise diatoms and flocs of iron particles. The iron flocs, which gave the slime an orange-brown colour, emanated from the River Clyne which receives a significant proportion of drainage from abandoned coal mines in the Dunvant and Killay areas and enters the sea at Blackpill. The ferruginous inputs from these mines are of relatively constant flow and thus have a much greater impact on the appearance of the river when river levels are low, as has been the case during the recent dry spell. The slime, though aesthetically unpleasant, does not in the opinion of environmental health officials threaten human or animal health.