Sir,

The failure of Ironman this year to provide portaloos in New Hedges for non-athletes, resulted in desperate spectators urinating and defecating in any spot they could find.

The side and rear of the Minimarket became a popular spot for men to urinate, leaving an unbelievable stench.

It is not the job of McColls’ staff to be lugging buckets of water and bleach to wash down these areas during the course of the race and for days afterwards.

Landowners in the area have reported both men and women using their fields and areas within property boundaries as open-air toilets, in full view of their homes.

The open plot opposite McColls was a popular area for people to relieve themselves, as was the children’s playing fields behind the Village Hall and this could all be seen by the residents of Hunters Park.

Portaloos sited in New Hedges by Ironman were strictly for athletes only.

Pembroke County Council were phoned re. this problem several times but failed to return the calls. With PCC (presumably) granting permission for the siting of a hot and cold drinks kiosk plus a burger van at Twy Cross junction, surely it should follow that the council also insist on spectator portaloos being sited nearby. After all, what goes in has got to come out.

It is well known that, every year, the large crowds gathered in Saundersfoot and beyond migrate west towards Tenby once the bulk of the cyclists have passed them on the race route.

Event organisers hired a Swansea bus company to provide coaches and double-decker buses to ferry masses of people in to Twy Cross continually throughout the day. Spectators’ cars were parked nose to tail along both sides of the carriageway from New Hedges roundabout to just before Crane Cross, whilst the Thursday Boot Sale field on the roundabout filled up with fee-paying parkers.

All these people coming through New Hedges with not a single WC available to them. It’s no good expecting everyone to wait until they reach Tenby to find a loo, when they are already cross-legged in desperation. Perhaps the event organisers should just be sacked and the task given to the local WI, who would surely approach the job in a far more practical manner.

The New Hedges Community Council had again generously allowed the limited WC facilities in the Village Hall to be used by the volunteers working on the athletes’ refreshment station in the hall grounds. This despite last year’s Ironman volunteers taking advantage of their generosity by availing themselves of the hall’s kitchen, without permission, to bake food in the oven with no regard as to who would pick up the bill for electricity and gas used. Even race stewards were asking at McColls if they could use the shop’s facilities.

Pembs. County Council are tripping over themselves to give permission for this and other races to be run in the locality whilst Ironman, Long Course Weekend et al are busy trumpeting about the thousands of people that come into the area as a result of these events.

Well, there certainly were massed throngs congregating in New Hedges on September 15, many of whom were forced to leave sizeable ‘deposits’ as they travelled through. It’s not their fault that there were no facilities provided for them to use.

Pembrokeshire County Council and Ironman need to wake up and get their act together. It is absurd that such poor communication is being displayed by organisations that class themselves as being professional. Stop patting yourselves on the back. Get this sorted. And do it now.Name and address supplied