River Wye campaigners stage protest over pollution in Bewdley
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.
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."Earlier this year, a new law was proposed to mandate the government to clean up pollution in the river after Hereford and South Herefordshire Conservative MP Jesse Norman presented a bill in the House of Commons. It goes back before politicians next month.
The river is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and is home to protected species.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.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Robert Jenrick wants Law Society to withdraw its ‘race and ethnicity' guidance
Robert Jenrick has demanded the Law Society withdraw new guidance that he claimed 'seeks to divide people on the basis of race and ethnicity'. The shadow justice secretary has written to the body, which represents solicitors across England and Wales, complaining about new advice aimed at promoting the use of inclusive language by legal professionals. The guidance says that racial categorisation is based in white supremacy, and 'was developed as an attempt to prove biological superiority and maintain dominance over others'. Mr Jenrick said these were 'dangerous ideas' and that society should be 'colour-blind and merit-based'. He claimed the guidance runs contrary to 'the principle of equal treatment' and 'seeks to divide people on the basis of race and ethnicity'. 'It is unacceptable for the Law Society to promote this kind of ideology, particularly as other legal bodies back away from these ideas,' Mr Jenrick said in a letter to Law Society president Richard Atkinson. 'I urge you to withdraw this guidance immediately.' The Law Society has been contacted for comment. It comes after a row over new guidance directing judges to consider the lives of offenders from ethnic minority and other backgrounds before sentencing. Opponents claimed the changes could lead to a 'two-tier justice system' in which people from minority groups are treated more leniently. The guidance, which the Sentencing Council argued would ensure courts had comprehensive information to decide on an appropriate punishment, was later abandoned after ministers tabled legislation to override it. The Law Society's guide is separate, and its stated intention is to help solicitors 'be more inclusive with the language we use'.
The Independent
18 minutes ago
- The Independent
Police chief hits back after accusations of ‘cover-up' regarding rape suspects
Police have denied a 'cover up' after a Reform UK councillor accused the force of withholding information following the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl. Warwickshire Police's chief constable, Alex Franklin-Smith, has asked the Home Office to confirm the full immigration status of Ahmad Mulakhil and Mohammad Kabir, who have been charged in connection with the offence. It comes after Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage and Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch claimed there had been a 'cover up' after police charged the two men, who are Afghan asylum seekers. In a letter to the Home Secretary and Warwickshire Police's chief constable, Mr Finch, the youngest council leader in the country, claimed that not publicising the pair's immigration status 'risks public disorder breaking out on the streets of Warwickshire'. Responding to Mr Finch, Mr Franklin-Smith wrote that the force 'did not and will not' cover up alleged criminality. 'I am confident that Warwickshire Police has treated this investigation seriously from the outset working tirelessly to identify, locate, arrest and charge those suspected of being responsible for this awful crime as quickly as possible.' Of the suspects, he wrote: 'The immigration status of Ahmad Mulakhil and Mohammad Kabir is now public knowledge, having been placed into the public domain by yourself. 'In light of that, I have asked the Home Office to confirm the full immigration status of Ahmad Mulakhil and Mohammad Kabir as per the information we shared with the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts as part of this case.' Of a conversation he and Mr Finch had on July 31, Mr Franklin-Smith wrote: 'You informed me you had already received a confidential briefing from your chief executive and that you knew the person charged was an asylum seeker. 'I confirmed this was accurate and we wouldn't be releasing immigration status at point of charge as we follow national guidance. 'I explained the information would become public knowledge as part of the court process and that all partners must ensure we are prepared to manage any potential protest and/or disorder at that stage. 'I explained we had a police gold commander leading the overall response to this case and that the communications plan agreed by them followed consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service. 'I also explained we had briefed the Home Office. 'To be clear, I cannot tell elected individuals what to do.' Following the reported attack in Nuneaton, Mulakhil, 23, was arrested on July 26 and charged the next day with rape, according to police. Mulakhil appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court last Monday and has been remanded in custody. Kabir, 23, was arrested in Nuneaton on Thursday and charged with kidnap, strangulation and aiding and abetting rape of a girl under 13, the force added. Kabir appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court on Saturday and has been remanded in custody. The issue of how much information is revealed by police regarding suspects has been the subject of fierce debate following a string of high-profile cases including the Southport killings last year. On Tuesday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said 'we do think more transparency is needed' in the information given by police and that 'guidance needs to change'. In a statement released on Tuesday evening, a Home Office spokesperson said: 'As the Home Secretary said this morning, it has been widely reported that this case involves two Afghan individuals who are in the asylum system, some of which information has already been confirmed in open court. 'The Home Secretary has made clear that there is a strong public interest in maximum transparency wherever that is possible. 'That is why the Home Office and College of Policing are working together to strengthen and clarify the guidance around how and when information is released.' Warwickshire Police previously said they do not believe anyone else was involved in the reported rape but are continuing to appeal for witnesses who may have information that could assist inquiries.
Telegraph
18 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Labour faces questions over £30,000 ‘cash for access'
A Labour group is facing questions over 'cash for access' after offering businesses private meetings with 'an influential Labour figure' in return for thousands of pounds, it has been reported. The Labour Infrastructure Forum (LIF), which is run by lobbyists and has an advisory council of senior party figures, has reportedly been offering sponsorship packages to businesses since it launched last summer. Companies are said to have been approached and offered the chance to sponsor events at which they can meet 'key policymakers' in private and ' shape the discussion '. Deals on offer have included £7,850 plus VAT for a 'private breakfast/dinner roundtable with an influential Labour figure', £11,750 plus VAT for a 'parliamentary panel event with key policymakers', and between £21,500 and £30,000 plus VAT to sponsor a 'Westminster drinks reception', according to The Times. LIF describes itself as a think tank on its website and said its mission was to develop policy proposals focused on 'getting Britain building and growing again'. The group was launched in September at an event that featured speeches from Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Varun Chandra, a business and investment adviser to Sir Keir Starmer. Its advisory council includes three Labour MPs – Mike Reader, Kirsteen Sullivan, and Bill Esterson – alongside Ruth Kelly, a former transport secretary, and Lord McNicol of West Kilbride, who served as general secretary of the Labour Party from 2011 to 2018. Baroness Blake of Leeds, a government whip in the House of Lords, was also involved in the group until several months ago. According to The Times, the group is not a lobbying company or part of the Labour Party, meaning it does not have to abide by rules for lobbying firms or political parties. It also has no legal obligation to publicly disclose details of payments it has received from sponsors, or of who has attended its private events. It also does not have to register with the lobbying watchdog, the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL). Gerry McFall, the group's director, is also the director of the lobbying firm Bradshaw Advisory, which is said to have a strong relationship with government figures. He reportedly told undercover reporters that one of the firm's clients had been able to have a meeting with Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, at last year's Labour Party conference. However, the LIF claimed it had told the undercover reporters it does not engage in consultant lobbying activity. An LIF spokesman said: 'LIF is a think tank, does not engage in consultant lobbying and does not have clients, and is therefore not required by law to register with the ORCL. This is clear on LIF's website and in any communications or contractual arrangements with potential sponsors. 'Like all think tanks, LIF seeks sponsorship to operate and cover costs, and does so on a case-by-case basis. 'LIF does not endorse any of its sponsors' products or services. LIF's policy work is entirely editorially independent from any sponsorship and solely expresses the views of LIF's executive.' The Times also reported that the Labour Party's events team offered lobbyists the chance to pay £15,000 plus VAT to partner with the party for winter receptions at which their staff could meet MPs. Officials reportedly emailed the companies saying any payments would not have to be publicised as they were a 'commercial transaction' rather than a 'gift to the party' and so was 'not a recordable donation'. A Labour Party spokesman said: 'Commercial partnerships at events are a longstanding practice and have no bearing on party or government policy. The party fully complies with all rules relating to the reporting of donations.'
