Heatwave brings traffic chaos and litter 'horror'

This week's heatwave has left "horrific" mounds of rubbish at some of Wales' most popular beaches, while traffic was brought to a standstill at beauty spots.

Photographer John Tudor captured footage of a cyclist weaving through the "chaos" of cars stuck in traffic at the beauty spot of Horseshoe Falls in Llangollen, Denbighshire, on Monday.

In neighbouring Gwynedd, two young boys were praised after taking it upon themselves to direct cars through the village of Llanbedr, which has been stricken with traffic problems for decades.

Jo Golley from Keep Wales Tidy said there were "horrific" scenes, including mounds of rubbish at Barry Island and Porthcawl beaches during the heatwave this week.

John said Horseshoe Falls, a Unesco World Heritage Site, was "total chaos" as there was no-one to manage the traffic.

"The same thing happens every year. It's half-term break so it's going to be busy but I've never seen it that busy before.

"The people of Llangollen think its going to be manic so businesses in the town – such as cafes - put on extra staff, but there is no-one manning the traffic there.

"Llangollen relies on tourism so if people see how manic it is with the traffic then they won't want to come back."

Denbighshire council acknowledged parking issues in the area and said rangers were at the site on the Monday to provide advice and reported an extremely high surge of visitors.

It said it would work with partners to address the increase in visitors as the summer break approaches and urged people to park responsibly in designated areas, warning them they risked a fine if they did not.

In Llanbedr, Theo, 13, and Idris, 12, told Newyddion S4C they were doing their best to help when they tried to help visitors forge a path through bumper-to-bumper traffic.

"I was on the other side stopping the traffic", said Idris.

"We could then pull them through and then [Theo] pulled them through too and basically we just tried to lower the waiting time down."

Theo said he didn't think people would listen to them due to their age, but drivers began following their instructions.

The local council said it understood the challenges in Llanbedr and had secured £400,000 to continue development work in 2026-27.

In south Wales, photos posted online showed drinks cans, footballs, buckets and spades and even a lilo and flippers abandoned at Barry Island beach.

James Webber, recycling and infrastructure manager at Vale of Glamorgan council, said the heatwave and bank holiday meant it was a "gold weekend" for Barry Island.

Webber said his team, who head to the beach early with a tractor to comb through the sand, planned for these events.

This was done to "turn the sand over" and uncover anything hidden or that had ben brought in by the tide.

He said it could be "demoralising" for the team when they were faced with mounds of rubbish but that most people did take their litter home with them.

Paul Jackson, from Rhymney, Caerphilly county, who was visiting the beach, collects sea glass and often finds himself picking up litter at the same time.

"I just think people are either ignorant or just lazy," he said.

"It's not difficult. You see people throwing things out of cars - it then goes down the road. There's no need - take it home with you."

Sallianne Lloyd from Abertysswg, added: "Think of the hazard with little children. There's just absolutely no need for it. There are bins and people should be more respectful."

Litter picking team Porthcawl Wombles collected around 18 bags of rubbish on one morning in the town last week - even picking up items such as nappies and sanitary pads.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Drive, Golley from Keep Wales Tidy said she was shocked at the "horrific" scenes across Wales.

"When there's so many people around, once one irresponsible person drops a piece of litter, then the person next to them feels it's slightly more socially acceptable to do the same thing.

"The reality is, our infrastructure isn't set up for having thousands of people on the beach every single day."

Additional reporting by Liam Evans