Protesters highlight river pollution in Shrewsbury

Campaigners fighting the dumping of sewage in the River Severn marched from Coton Hill to the Quarry Park, in order to raise public awareness on the issue. Around 100 protesters wore ‘poo hats’, carried colourful placards, and were joined a procession that included samba drummers, canoeists, wild swimmers and anglers.  

A theatre group staged an impromptu play about Sabrina, Goddess of the River Severn and members of the public were offered the chance to learn more about the river pollution issue at a pop up stall in the park.

Claire Kirby from campaign group Up Sewage Creek said: "We’re thrilled that the wonderful Dragon Boat Festival is returning to the River Severn after a two-year hiatus. It’s a brilliant example of how important the river is to Shrewsbury residents. Sadly, though, in the time since the festival was last held, the quality of England’s rivers has gotten steadily worse. If we want to keep using rivers like the Severn for leisure and pleasure, we need to stop the water companies from treating them like a toilet."

Concern over the quality of England’s waterways is now at a record high. Last week the Environment Agency released a bombshell report showing that water companies’ performance on pollution was the worst seen in years. The agency took the shock step of calling for chief executives to be jailed if they continue to pollute the waterways.

Says Ms Kirby: "According to the Environment Agency, the River Severn saw 21,000 hours of discharge from the 39 Combined Sewer Overflows in Shrewsbury in 2020. Pumping human waste into the river is having a terrible toll on wildlife and public health. Just 14% of English rivers are ecologically healthy, with pollution from raw sewage, agriculture slurry, roads, and single-use plastics becoming what the government’s Environmental Audit Committee (chaired by Ludlow MP Philip Dunne) has called a “chemical cocktail”. We think it’s time for the water companies to clean up their act and use the billions they’ve made in profits to ensure that our beautiful rivers are healthy so we can enjoy them for years to come. But they won’t do it unless we force them to…"

Etienne Stott MBE, an Olympic gold medal-winning canoeist, was present at the march. He said: ‘As a canoeist, I appreciate the natural beauty of waterways and their value for recreation and sports, including mental health. It is frustrating to see our beautiful rivers destroyed for a quick profit for the shareholders and it needs to stop, for the sake of our wildlife and our health.’

Patricia Wilson, spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion Shrewsbury, said: "It was fantastic to see so many ordinary people come out and march to save the Severn. Clean water is essential to human health and to the continued success of events like the Dragon Boat Festival. The pollution we’re seeing in Shrewsbury’s river isn’t inevitable or unavoidable. It’s happening simply because the water companies would rather chase profits than invest in the health of people and the environment. We have the solutions to tackle the river pollution issue, but it won’t happen until we make the corporations to clean up their act. If we’re going to win this battle, we need as many people as possible to tell the water companies and our politicians that we’ve had enough of their cr*p."