A mountain rescue team has spent two gruelling days abseiling down a steep Welsh hillside to clear several tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish that had blighted one of the country’s most picturesque landscapes since January — waste so extensive it could be seen from five miles away and was described as having a “catastrophic” impact on local wildlife.
The Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team, working alongside Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and the landowner, completed the clearance of Bwlch Mountain in South Wales over a weekend-long operation that required more than a kilometre of rope, specialist abseil equipment and teams working 12-hour shifts across two consecutive days. The rubbish — which included discarded household waste, bin bags, alcohol containers and vapes — had been dumped on the 439-metre mountain in January, most likely thrown from a lay-by above the cliffs, and had lain there for months as an increasingly visible scar across the Welsh countryside.
Drone footage released earlier this year showed the scale of the problem, with waste strewn across the hillside in what was described by appalled residents as a “river of rubbish.” Landowner Katie Davies, whose family have owned the land for 90 years, told the Daily Mail in January that she was heartbroken by the sight. “It’s horrendous. It’s really heartbreaking. I need a long-term solution, I can’t keep doing this,” she said, warning the clean-up would cost thousands of pounds.
The operation was led by CBMRT Technical Lead Pete Spearing, who began planning the clearance after the scale of the fly-tipping became widely known. “When we first saw the images from Bwlch Mountain, they really struck a chord with the team,” he said. “We spend thousands of hours each year in the outdoors and couldn’t stand by and watch such a beautiful area be treated like a dumping ground.” He spent several months working with the council and the landowner to devise a safe approach to what became a highly technical undertaking. “The terrain is extremely steep and required specialist rope rescue systems and a significant volunteer effort to recover the waste safely,” he said. “I’m incredibly proud of what the team achieved over the weekend. Several tonnes of rubbish have now been removed from the mountain and the area has been transformed.”
Every member of the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team is an unpaid volunteer, and the charity receives no government funding for its operational activities. Despite giving up their weekend for the clean-up, team members also responded to four separate mountain rescue callouts on the Saturday.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council leader Ann Crimmings condemned those responsible in unambiguous terms. “The Bwlch Mountain is home to some of our most beautiful countryside, and it is completely unacceptable that a minority treat it as a personal dumping ground,” she said. “The lazy actions of the minority ultimately affect us all. Many recovered items could have been taken to a Community Recycling Centre or collected from the kerbside at no extra cost.” She said the council would continue to use all available powers to pursue those responsible.
A JustGiving fundraising page has been set up for members of the public who wish to support the team’s work.
