Why are people in one Pembrokeshire village only drinking bottled water? And what should gardeners use now that conventional slug pellets are about to be withdrawn from sale?
For the past three months, local residents in the Pembrokeshire village of Trecwn have been supplied with bottled water, as their domestic supply contains high levels of iron and often smells strongly of chlorine. Rachel Treadaway Williams investigates.
Next month, traditional slug pellets containing metaldehyde will no longer be on sale. Four keen gardeners, including Radio 2鈥檚 Terry Walton, put a variety of alternative slug deterrents to the test at their allotment in Llwynypia.
And with the deadline for claiming PPI this summer, Omar Hamdi has all the advice on how to check if you are owed money and how to claim.
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Trecwn water supply
An expert on water quality believes the private water being supplied to a Pembrokeshire village is unfit for human consumption.
Families living in 35 homes in a small street in Trecwn have been fighting for months to get answers about their water supply.
The residents in Barham Road say they first began to notice problems with their tap water last summer.
Luke Pieniak, who lives there with his wife and two young children, said: 鈥淎t the beginning it was a strong smell of chlorine, it鈥檚 like every time we went to bath the kids it would just smell like a swimming pool.鈥�
Another resident, Helen Bingham, said: 鈥淭he water just was a funny colour and sometimes had a smell to it.鈥�
The houses used to belong to the old Royal Navy munitions base at Trecwn. The base shut nearly thirty years ago, but the street鈥檚 water supply still comes from there. The residents are billed by the site鈥檚 new owners, property company Manhattan Loft.
X-Ray spoke to several families living in the street about their concerns.
Luke Pieniak was worried about using the water for bathing his daughters.
He said: 鈥淲hen they鈥檙e in the bath they drink the water as well. You can鈥檛 stop them drinking bath water when they鈥檙e playing.鈥�
Helen Bingham said: 鈥淚t ranges from brown, as in it looks like you鈥檝e poured a cup of tea into the water. To going crystal clear but then very high smell of chlorine.鈥�
Residents contacted Pembrokeshire County Council about their concerns earlier this year, and tests were done on the water in February and March. Both tests showed high iron levels of around 1800聽 micrograms per litre 鈥� that鈥檚 nine times the legal limit of 200 micrograms.
Helen Bingham said: 鈥淭he worry is as well that if it鈥檚, you know, eighteen-hundred and it should be two hundred, how long have we all been drinking this water with high levels of iron in? How does that affect our heath?鈥�
To answer that question, X-Ray spoke to Professor Jennifer Colbourne, a former Chief Inspector of the Drinking Water Inspectorate 鈥� the official body responsible for checking our water is drinkable. She said that while the water shouldn鈥檛 directly affect their health, it is breaking the law and not fit to drink.
Professor Colbourne said: 鈥�200 micrograms per litre of iron in the water is a UK legal standard, so it鈥檚 UK law, and therefore if it鈥檚 broken then the water is not compliant with the law. The water is not wholesome and not fit for human consumption.鈥�
The problems with the water are apparently caused when it passes through an old iron pipe on its way to their homes. In March, after the first of the high iron readings, the company that owns the base began supplying the families in Barham Road with bottled water as a precaution.
But the residents say they鈥檝e still had no details of any long-term plan to fix the problems, and that聽 lack of information is a real concern.
Luke Pieniak said: 鈥淵ou should be able to bath your children without worrying, you should be able to turn your taps on and not smell of chlorine, you should have to have not look at dirty water.鈥�
Professor Colbourne said: 鈥淚 think that it is this lack of information that is most concerning to me because it鈥檚 causing anxiety for all concerned.
鈥淭he most important thing is that people know exactly what is going on and then they can have more confidence in the situation.鈥�
X-Ray spoke to all the parties involved. The people who run the site for Manhattan Loft said there is nothing wrong with the water when it leaves their processing plant. They said that not all the houses had experienced high iron levels and that the residents pay Manhattan Loft for the water, but not for any specific work that might be needed on the pipework.
Pembrokeshire Council also pointed out that they believe the residents are responsible for paying for any work needed to the iron pipe that seems to be causing all the problems.
But there is some progress. The council said it has been talking to Dwr Cymru about an emergency water supply and longer-term solutions. They now hope to write to all the residents outlining the different options next month.