'The River Severn is dying in front of our eyes!' Shrewsbury campaigners deliver grave warning - and issue call for your help

Up Sewage Creek, a Shrewsbury-based group which has held numerous protests in recent years hitting out over raw sewage dumping in the river, issued the grave warning.

Now they want residents to become “citizen scientists” and help monitor water quality as the river flows through the centre of Shrewsbury.

The group has been testing water quality in Shrewsbury since 2023, building up a large database of results that it has shared with key stakeholders like The Angling Trust. 

They say the findings over this period reveal the “shocking decline” of the Severn, and the group is urging local residents and politicians to take a stand, “or risk the river dying on our watch”. 

Warren Hastings, a Castlefields resident, who was one of the group’s first water testers says: “Back in 2023 Shrewsbury’s Town Fisheries warned that anglers were catching “more tampons than fish” in the town and the story became national news. Since then, the situation has steadily declined. 

“It’s only thanks to the work of citizen scientists that we’re able to see the full extent of this, especially after cuts to the Environment Agency’s budget means they no longer have the resources to properly monitor the situation. 

“Up Sewage Creek’s volunteers test for pH levels, phosphate, oxygen, and nitrogen, in addition to collating their observations and taking photographs. 

“Having people on the ground – and in the water – means we’re able to build up a really informed picture of the state of the river and how it is changing over time. 

“It’s vitally important work since it offers a snapshot of the river’s health – and the bottom line is, things are not good.”

By using professional kit – crowdfunded and paid for by generous donations from local residents – Up Sewage Creek is able to use the same consistent methodology as other groups across the country – ensuring that its results are accurate. The findings, though, are a stark reminder of what’s at stake. 

Mr Hastings added: “This summer we found oxygen levels in the water to be very low. The high temperatures and increasing nutrients from sewage and farming run off encourages algal and bacterial growth which deplete the oxygen and impacts living creatures. 

“Older residents of Shrewsbury will remember a time when, looking down from Coleham Head Bridge, a shoal of brown trout would often be seen feeding in the Rea Brook. I don’t know when anyone last saw them. 

“This is the town of Charles Darwin, but now creatures that cannot live out of water are struggling to live in it. 

“It is an appalling situation and it’s only through the work of volunteers that this information is getting out into the public domain.”

The group’s testers work up and down the Severn as it flows through Shrewsbury to gather data from different places as it flows through the town. The data is being used to help build both a local and national picture of the impact of sewage spills and agricultural run-off into the water. 

Sara Mai from Up Sewage Creek said: “Our dedicated testers have enough results to enable us to interpret some telling realisations from the data. 

“Photosynthesis cannot take place in silty waters and the many small invertebrates that are the ‘canaries in the coal-mine’ are disappearing. 

“Mayfly larvae in the Rad Brook are just about clinging on to life and it’s a clear sign that our river is not well. 

“Water testing is a way for people to demonstrate love for the river and connect to Severn. Increasingly, this gives Severn a voice. 

“Citizen scientists are the people who let us see how bad things are, and they can be a rallying cry for bringing the Severn and her tributaries back to life. 

“Our volunteers have done an outstanding job and we’d love more people to come and join in and make a real difference in the fight for a healthy river.”

Anyone who is interested in joining the volunteer team can contact Sara Mai at  UpSewageCreek@gmail.com