By Jack Darlington | Contributor
Human faeces has been sighted on Wales’ most popular mountains and has been found to be a danger to health, commented by the Mountain Rescue’s senior executive. This issue has been outlined due to increasing amounts of traffic in the areas, being said to be “unprecedented”.
Those of which are most affected are listed as; Tryfan, Snowdonia and Pen-y-dan, in the Brecon Beacons.
In the Easter period, a guide in Snowdon has reported a path to be “covered in human stools.” Members of the public had said to be ‘totally disgusted” with “stools in paper cups and under stones.” People have been told to use the toilets before going on their hike, at the bottom of the park.
Gemma Davies claims to have “caught a guy going to the toilet on the railway line” with this issue occurring throughout the UK.
The highest spots highlighted, of which human faeces were found have been named to be Snowden (Wales), Scafell Pike (England) and Ben Nevis (Scotland). These spots have become more and more increasingly popular due to COVID-19 and staycations.
Mr Park claimed that “we’re not educating society on how to do this in the most environmental way” and that “people are just working it out for themselves”.
In order to protect our water sources, the faeces must be buried away, so that people in the area won’t have contaminated drinking water. As Park went on to continue, we must find “what the most environmentally effective way” is to do our business safely and humanely.
75-year-old, Clive Busson similarly found the “problem in the Beacons too” with lots of used toilet paper being left by people on their hikes. Those who would normally camp in the Brecon Beacons, such as “the Beacon society, don’t want overnight camping mainly because of the human waste factor.”
Husband and wife, Barry and Claire McDarlane, had found that dog poo and poo bags had also been left, as well as dirty toilet paper. Barry McDarlane had said “it’s a sad reflection on our society that people can’t maintain a beautiful part of the world that they have visited.”
Snowdonia National Park Authority had suggested those going on long hikes, should use the toilets at the bottom of the main paths.
Whilst there have been calls to provide more toilet facilities at Snowdonia and other areas, there are environmental concerns that they may turn nature into “urban environments”, said Chris Lloyd, from Owgen Valley Mountain Rescue.
Meirwen Davies, from Bala, said that “it is obvious the current facilities such as toilets and parking areas do not meet the needs of the growth that has increased in recent years.”
Bran Devey, a member of ‘Ramblers Cymru’, has similarly advised people to opt for more ecologically-friendly methods of disposal: “You can stick it in your bag, and dispose of it when you get to the bottom.”
In 2021, a seven-year-old boy had visited Snowdon with his grandfather, finding beer bottles, overflowing bins and dog poo bags, hanging from trees as well as well as on the floor.
Clearly, there’s a need for people to have more respect for the environment.
Devey said “we just want people to enjoy themselves and stay safe.”
Science and Technology
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