River Severn campaigners protest over pollution

Robert Plant joined campaigners in their protest over the condition of the river

Campaigners against the pollution in the River Severn have staged a peaceful protest in a town in Worcestershire.

About 100 people went to the banks of the river in Bewdley on Sunday, including rock legend Robert Plant, who is supporting local efforts to protect it.

People marched through the town and sailed coffins on the water to raise awareness of what they said was a dying eco-system because of sewage overflow and fertiliser run off.

Severn Trent said it was taking "major strides" to play its part to safeguard the region's rivers. The Environment Agency has been contacted for a response.

Dee Edwards, chair of Communities Against River Pollution (CARP), said the river needed to be cleaned up.

"We've got statistics from Severn Trent themselves about spills and we know from a table of Top of the Poops, that in 2024 the Severn was the sixth dirtiest river," she said.

Coffins were sailed on the river to demonstrate people's feelings about its condition

Trevor Ponman, also from CARP, said: "If you've got a lot of phosphates and nitrates in the water, it actually feeds plant growth.

"Well, that sounds like a good thing, but actually what it can do, especially in the summer, it can trigger so-called algae blooms where you get a whole load of algae growing and then they decay and release toxins which can kill fish and it's really bad for the water if you've got too much of it."

Dee Edwards, chair of Communities Against River Pollution (CARP), said the river needed to be cleaned up

Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant who lives locally, said he had seen the river deteriorate.

"It's not support, it's reality," he said.

"I looked over the river bridge, I sat on the side of the river here, I wondered where it had gone.

"I wondered where all the green was that the fish used to feed."

In a statement, Severn Trent said it was taking major strides to play its part to safeguard the region's rivers by delivering the fastest and most ambitious spills reduction programme in the water industry.

Its water rangers will meet CARP later this week.