More monitoring of river needed, say campaigners

Warren Hastings, from Up Sewage Creek, said two monitoring sites would give a full picture of the river's health

Concerns over pollution in the River Severn have led to calls from campaigners for more round-the-clock monitoring of the water.

Volunteer group Up Sewage Creek says it regularly sees "foam-bergs" appear near a weir in Shrewsbury, adding that one monitoring station at Frankwell - to check quality for bathing - was not enough to give the full picture of the river's health.

The group says tests it has carried out show high levels of phosphate which they describe as "alarming" and "above levels that would be appropriate for a good ecology status".

Severn Trent said there was already well established river monitoring and the Environment Agency said it believed the foam was caused by decomposition of leaf litter.

Warren Hastings, from the group, said some phosphate was natural occurring but can appear for several reasons, one being sewage.

He said he conducted his own tests on the water and got a "very, very high reading for phosphate" which he said was alarming.

The group wants another independent testing station on the river "to give an accurate, real-time picture of what is happening".

Severn Trent disputes the group's results, saying it is essential that the right kit and testing methods are used

Severn Trent disputes the group's results.

Gareth Mead, river ranger manager at the service provider, said it was "essential that the right kit and testing methods are used to ensure accurate results".

He said: "Something as simple as leaving the tester for too long can provide a false result.

"The Environment Agency is ultimately responsible for monitoring river health and there is already well-established testing on the river, and we're focused on investments and local upgrades to play our part to improve river health."

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "Unfortunately, this incident was not reported to us until several days after the foam had been seen in the water.

"We assessed the information reported and believe that the foam was caused by decomposition of leaf litter near the weir which is usual for this time of year."