Coastal landfills spill waste on beaches and sea, say scientists

Now the scale of the problem is beginning to be uncovered, one problem is establishing who is responsible for it.

“There are over 1,500 landfill sites in Wales, a very small number are still active, and a few are permitted. Most of those 1,500 landfill sites are not permitted at all,” said Mary Lewis, who leads an NRW advisory team on the issue.

“Prior to the 1970s, no records had to be kept. So there was no permitting on landfill sites and no requirement to keep records.”

She that by default, responsibility now fell to the current landowner, no matter how long ago the waste was dumped, but there was little in the way of legislation.

“The stage we’re at is understanding the scale of the problem – and the risk it poses,” she said.

“Climate change really is a very significant factor in the threat posed. We are already seeing increasing extremes weather events, extreme rainfall events – we also know sea level is gradually rising – which means we are seeing an increase in coastal flooding.

“All of that makes the landfill potentially more unstable.”