Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water have been slammed by Pembrokeshire politicians after the industry regulator found "serious and unacceptable" breaches in the supplier's sewage and network services.

A £40 million penalty, imposed by industry regulator Ofwat, was supplemented by a £4.1 million package to improve river quality.

Responding to Ofwat’s announced enforcement package for Dŵr Cymru, South Pembrokeshire’s Labour MP Henry Tufnell remarked: “Welsh Water has failed Pembrokeshire!”

“Working with the local community - I’ve been on the ground with campaigners like the Cleddau Project, who are looking to protect our vital streams and rivers,” continued Mr Tufnell, who as a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, had previously questioned Welsh Water’s former CEO on falling environmental standards, repeated storm overflow spills, and rising executive pay, despite the company failing our communities.

Mr Tufnell recently chaired a discussion on the future of the Cleddau River, bringing together experts, organisations, and residents to develop practical solutions.

The MP has also been checking progress first-hand at Tenby’s Wastewater Treatment Works to ensure improvements are being implemented.

“I will not stop until Pembrokeshire’s rivers, streams, and beaches are fully protected, clean, and safe for everyone to enjoy!” he added.

Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Senedd Member for the Welsh Conservatives, Samuel Kurtz also raised the matter, on a trip to Saundersfoot, where he spoke with the Numb Nuts and Blue Tits cold water swimmers.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m fed up hearing stories of water pollution from water companies, discharging sewage into our waterways while the bosses have big bonuses!” remarked Mr Kurtz.

“It’s good that Welsh Water have been fined for their failures, but that money needs to go into improving the sewage system, and we the customers shouldn’t be paying larger water bills! And did you know...water quality in Wales is fully the responsibility of the Welsh Government, not the UK Government.

“There’s amazing work already underway, like The Cleddau Project, but we need a holistic approach, not piecemeal,” he added.

Lynn Parker from Ofwat said: "Our investigation has found serious and unacceptable breaches in how Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water has operated and maintained its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows to the environment.

“We now expect them to focus on putting things right so that customers can regain trust in their water company and the critical service they provide.

“The enforcement package will also tackle groundwater entering the sewer network - a major cause of frequent spills - and the money towards improving river quality will be spent in ‘extremely sensitive’ catchments.”

A spokesperson for Dŵr Cymru said: “We accept the findings of Ofwat’s investigation and apologise for where we have fallen short of the standards that our customers and regulators rightly expect from us.

A consultation on the package is now open to the public and key stakeholders until April 2 to offer any comments and responses before Ofwat announces its final decision.