The villages along the Wye - and the impact on each.

Bigsweir Bridge

The St Briavels storm overflow (DCWW) discharges sewage at Bigsweir and is the worst overflow pipe in the Wye Valley. The pipe sits just above Bigsweir, the natural weir that marks the end of the tidal section of the River Wye - so any overflow can be caught in the tide and brought back up river, impacting this section disproportionately. DCWW recognised St Briavels as non-compliant and told Ofwat in 2024 it was being repaired, to be completed by the end of December 2024. As the figures show, if those repairs were completed, they have not been effective.

Even in the recent dry weather, the pipe recorded 6 hours of discharge in a month - with no explanation, and in complete breach of its licence conditions.

Community response: a team of 20 volunteer testers in Llandogo is awaiting training, with the aim of introducing daily testing above and below the discharge pipe.

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Chepstow

Chepstow lies on the southern edge of the Wye Valley AONB. The Welsh Street storm overflow (DCWW1540) sits within the AONB, under the view of Chepstow Castle.

Llandogo

Llandogo sits below the St Briavels overflow that discharges at Bigsweir and is further impacted as overflows are pushed back up river on the rising tide. The village has two unmonitored pipes running into the river.

Community response: volunteer testers are lined up as part of the Bigsweir testing effort.

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Monmouth

The Wyelands overflow is located just outside the town of Monmouth. While its performance appeared to improve in 2025, the 2026 incident rate looks worse again - with four incidents running for over 24 hours each in January.

Community response: a team is being set up to start testing of the Wyelands overflow.

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Redbrook

The Newlands overflow (DCWW2154) discharges into the River Wye in the middle of Redbrook. Until August 2026 the pipe was not on the Surfers Against Sewage site. Following information provided by Eyes on the Wye, it has now been uploaded and will show daily incidents and history going forward.

This pipe has been a real concern with the pipe discharging under the waterline, making understanding of the issue more difficult. The site also regularly creates large amounts of foam which then flows down river through the communities below.

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Tintern

Sewage is discharged into the Wye in the middle of Tintern, within sight of the iconic Tintern Abbey. As at Bigsweir, the tide returns floating discharge back up to the village. Tintern has two overflow stations, the main one being Tintern Main Road (DCWW710). The reported data suggests some very long incidents this year of 46 hours in February, 28 hours in April and over 20 hours in August. The site also recently overflowed in dry weather, raising questions about how and why.

Community response: a team of testers is currently being recruited.

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