River Wye: Protest to save UK river from ‘severe' agricultural pollution ahead of River Action's legal case

Protesters have turned out in force this morning to support a legal challenge aimed at cleaning up a polluted river.

River Action has brought a legal challenge against the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The charity’s court case begins today at Cardiff’s Civil and Family Justice Centre, and claims both the EA and Defra have acted unlawfully in failing to adequately protect the River Wye from agricultural pollution.  

Large numbers of campaigners who are fearful for the ecological collapse of the river gathered at 9am outside of the court ahead of the legal proceedings. The protestors include those from Save the Wye coalition, Welsh Rivers Union, and locals who are outraged at the decline of the River Wye. They are holding colourful banners and placards – voicing their support for saving the River. 

They are also joined by one of the loudest voices against river pollution and former singer of The Undertones, Feargal Sharkey, who is also the Vice Chair of River Action - a small campaigning organisation that is on a mission to rescue Britain’s rivers from agricultural, sewage and industrial pollution. The charity says that industrialised chicken production throughout the Wye region has “now been established as one of the principal causes of the severe pollution of the river” and “urgent and immediate action is now needed to end the destructive application of chicken manure across the soils of the river catchment, from where it constantly leaches into the watercourse.” 

It adds that it is a “sickening and avoidable tragedy” that “could have been seriously mitigated had the Environment Agency properly enforced existing environmental regulations”. The health status of the River Wye was downgraded last May meaning its condition is poor – and worsening. 

Founder and Chairman of River Action UK Charles Watson said the “severe ecological collapse of the iconic River Wye is one of the great environmental scandals of our times." The River Wye is the UK's fourth-longest river stretching some 155 miles from mid Wales to the Severn estuary and is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Ahead of the court case River Action posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter: “So why are we taking the @EnvAgency to court? The answer: we want this government agency to enforce the water quality rules that this govt made. Simple as that. #savethewye.”

Chairman Mr Watson also added: “We will vigorously make the case before the High Court that a prime cause for the recent ecological collapse of the River Wye is the Environment Agency’s decision to slavishly follow Defra’s guidance to not enforce critically important environmental regulations which form part of the 2018 Farming Rules for Water. 

“These specifically dictate that fertilisers and manures must not be spread on soils already over-saturated with excess nutrients. Tragically, due to the uncontrolled growth of what we believe to be one of the largest concentrations of intensive poultry production in Europe, this is exactly what has been allowed to happen. The horrific environmental consequences for the River Wye arising from this deluge of agricultural pollution are sadly all too plain to see.”

More to follow