Anglesey fish farm Selonda UK admits coast pollution

A fish farm has admitted polluting a protected coastline on Anglesey which is popular with tourists and anglers.

Owners Selonda UK pleaded guilty to permitting the discharge of "trade effluent and chemicals" on land at Penmon.

Holyhead magistrates' court heard the pollution bleached a cliff face.

The company also admitted failing to comply with an environmental permit condition and the hearing was adjourned until 22 November.

The prosecution was brought by Environment Agency Wales.

Strict conditions

After the hearing, David Edwell, the agency's north Wales area manager, said: "This caused serious pollution in a sensitive area that not only damaged wildlife but could have harmed anyone coming into contact with it.

"Penmon is a protected site and is popular with tourists and anglers and needs to be protected from this kind of activity.

"It would have been avoided if the company had followed the strict conditions in their environmental permit. These permits are there to protect the environment and local communities, and we will enforce them."

On its website, Selonda describes how it was founded 30 years ago and is a leading global producer and supplier of high-quality farmed Sea Bream and Sea Bass.

It has fish farms in Greece and Turkey and a multi-million pound state-of-the-art "recirculation farm" in Wales producing sea bass.