Great Ouse: Pollution and flooding to be tackled by new trust

The Great Ouse - the UK's fifth longest river - is popular with water sports

A new trust will push to improve water quality along one of the UK's longest rivers.

The Great Ouse Rivers Trust said only 10% of the Great Ouse - which stretches from Buckinghamshire to the Wash at Norfolk - is in "good" condition.

It said issues such as sewage, agriculture and climate change had "left Britain's rivers in crisis".

Phil Rothwell, chair of the trust, said it was a "crucial and critical time for the UK's rivers".

Invasive species also threatened habitats and an unpredictable climate added pressure, with alternating droughts and floods, the trust added.

• LISTEN: Phil Rothwell talks about the new Great Ouse Rivers Trust

As well as protecting wildlife, the trust also wants to identify safe areas for wild swimming and water sports.

The Great Ouse flows through many rapidly growing towns and villages

The River Great Ouse flows for 160 miles (257km), from west to east, passing through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, where it enters the North Sea near King's Lynn.

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But only 10% of the waterway was rated as being in "good" ecological condition by the Environment Agency - lower than the national average of 14%.

The Great Ouse Rivers Trust said the river suffered from a number of problems, including "nutrient run-off" from agriculture and sewage from water treatment plants.

The region is also seeing rapid development which leads to water scarcity and pollution, it said.

The Great Ouse provides habitats for many creatures such as water voles

The new trust will work with water companies, landowners and farmers "to support healthy river management".

It wants to improve plans for managing waste water and flood risks, with a particular focus on "nature-based solutions" to flooding, such as tree-planting and wetland restoration.

The Bedford River Festival on the Great Ouse attracts thousands

The trust is also keen to identify safe areas for wild swimming, canoeing and paddleboarding, to help people make the most of the Great Ouse.

Mr Rothwell told the BBC: "It's a fantastic place, it's very relaxing, and I think people are drawn to water.

"They like to think it's being looked after and they can swim in it, their children can swim in it, their dogs can swim in it."

'Lifeblood'

The new venture is also backed by the British naturalist and presenter, Steve Backshall.

He said: "Water is our planet's lifeblood and we all have a role to play in protecting it."

He said the launch of the trust was "a vital step towards safeguarding the health and biodiversity of this precious ecosystem for generations to come."

Naturalist Steve Backshall wants to see the river's "precious ecosystem" protected

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