WASTE found dumped on land behind Lidl in Pontardawe has been linked to a Swansea firm.

Three piles of rubbish was discovered in November 2018 by the mid and west Wales fire and rescue services' arson reduction team and the information was passed on to Neath Port Talbot council.

Following an investigation, members of the council's waste enforcement team went to a mixed commercial and residential building in the centre of Swansea owned by Gower Way Ltd.

The officers confirmed the waste dumped in Pontardawe had come from this building.

In January 2019, Nasser Alanizy, a Company Director of Gower Way Ltd, attended an interview with Neath Port Talbot council waste enforcement officers, during which he confirmed waste found at Pontardawe was from the building his company owned in the centre of Swansea.

He confirmed he didn’t have any waste transfer documentation in relation to this waste removal.

The company had previously pleaded guilty at Swansea Magistrates’ Court to breaching its duty of care under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in relation to the waste illegally deposited in Pontardawe. Sentencing took place on August 25, 2020.

The company, represented by a solicitor, was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £638.04, and a victim surcharge of £181.

Neath Port Talbot Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Streetscene and Engineering, Cllr Ted Latham said: “This case and the heavy price paid by the offending company shows it is not OK to dump waste and damage our environment.

“We have a dedicated team of officers determined to track down anyone dumping waste in Neath Port Talbot, and our strong record of prosecutions acts as a deterrent for anyone thinking about dumping waste here.”