Forest of Dean residents fighting River Wye pollution

Campaigners are "concerned" about the levels of agricultural pollution in the River Wye

Campaigners are urging their MP and environmental agencies to do more to combat agricultural pollution.

Foresters against Fouling, a campaign group in the Forest of Dean, met with local MP Mark Harper, the Environment Agency and Welsh Water in Cinderford, to discuss water quality in the River Wye.

"It was a really good meeting," Mr Harper, Conservative, said.

Campaigner Andrew Darke added he hopes Mr Harper "starts making some changes".

Campaigner Andrew Darke added he hopes Mr Harper "starts making some changes"

Mr Darke said: "We are concerned residents who are aware of our problems in our local environment.

"We wanted to make sure Mr Harper is engaging with these issues.

"We need someone with the clout of an MP to really put their mind to it and start getting some answers and making some changes."

Foresters against Fouling say that sewage and agricultural run off from farms gets discharged into the river.

Consequently, algae grows in the river, limiting oxygen and making it harder for wildlife to survive.

The Wye, which flows through Wales, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, has been affected by excessive algal growth for the past decade.

Campaigner Eileen O'Haire said she wanted transparency about the issues affecting the River Wye

Campaigner Eileen O'Haire added: "We wanted Mr Harper to get involved in what we see as serious issues with the river.

"We want transparency and we had a discussion about the challenges we are facing.

"It's not so much about the sewage outflows - they are only about 30% of the problem.

"It's mostly agricultural run-off, mostly from the big chicken factories we have in the Forest of Dean."

Mr Harper said the meeting was "really good" and that it was "important" to improve agricultural run-off

Mr Harper told the BBC: "As the River Wye demonstrates, it is important to improve agricultural run-off.

"This will lead to better outcomes for people who bathe and fish in the river, but also for wildlife."

A spokesperson for Welsh Water said they "welcomed" the opportunity to speak to the campaigners.

The Wye passes through different regions as it runs along the England-Wales border

They added: "While our treatment works contribute around 23% to the phosphorus in the river, we are committed to reducing this even further and between now and 2025 will be investing £64 million to achieve this."

"We also shared with the group our plans to expand our near real time operation which we will be introducing in early 2024, focussing on areas of the river where we know people are swimming and accessing the water."

'Solutions will take time'

An Environment Agency spokesperson added: "The River Wye is a beautiful and important part of our landscape, our resources and community wellbeing.

"That is why we are working with our partners to find solutions to tackle phosphate levels in the catchment.

"The complexity of the challenge means those solutions will take time and must be founded on a strong evidence base. But that doesn't mean we aren't taking actions now.

"As well as stepping up our farm visits to improve compliance and reduce pollution, we are enhancing monitoring at high-risk locations and carrying out a detailed investigation into the management of poultry manure across the catchment."

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