Shrewsbury river clean-up campaigners join day of action

Up Sewage Creek members - dressed in protective clothing and "poo hats" - gathered at Pig Trough in Coton Hill, where one of the hated local sewage overflows sends toilet waste straight into the River Severn if it rains heavily.

A national day of action was held on Saturday, and as the group Surfers Against Sewage made the main point at the Nottingham HQ of Severn Trent Water, Shrewsbury's noisy band of protestors wanted to keep the pressure on in Shropshire too. Protests were scheduled from Edinburgh to Newquay, each targeting an individual water company with a demand that they do better.

Claire Kirby of Up Sewage Creek said: "We are really concerned about the amount of raw sewage being pumped into the UK’s waterways, including the River Severn here in Shrewsbury.

"We picked Pig Trough in Coton Hill for the protest because it is regularly blighted by human excrement spilling out of Severn Trent Water’s combined sewage overflow here. The amount of raw sewage being discharged by the water companies is a disgrace and it is having a real impact on the Severn."

Campaigners say that the huge profits being made by water companies are a sign that the system is failing.

Ms Kirby added: "It can’t be right that water company shareholders have made £72 billion in profit since privatisation in 1991 while our rivers are slowly dying.

"Nor can it right that water company bosses have been paid nearly £27 million in bonuses since 2020. These companies need to clean up the mess they’re making.

"Instead, it’s left to us – ordinary people who live in towns like Shrewsbury – to hold them to account.

"Where is the Government? Where are the regulators? No one seems to care that our rivers are being poisoned and polluted so long as profits are being made."

She added: "If you’re worried about this issue, check out our website UpSewageCreek.com and email your MP demanding action."

Fellow protestor Dougald Purce, of Castlefields, Shrewsbury, said he thinks things have "moved backwards" over the years.

And Laura Milatos, also from the town added: "I love the river, it is such an important part of the town. It is such a shame that we are abusing it. We should not be putting untreated sewage in the Severn."

She added: "I like to go wild swimming, but I wouldn't in there."

Regional water company Severn Trent covers Shropshire as part of its large region. It has pledged to "Get River Positive by 2030" and says it has a commitment to ensure "storm overflows and sewage treatment works do not harm rivers".

It says it will reduce the use of storm overflows to an average of 20 per year by 2025 among a swathe of other eco-friendly pledges.

Severn Trent chief executive Liv Garfield said in a statement last month: “Although we have improved the health of our rivers significantly in the last 30 years, there is much more to do to make our regions’ rivers the healthiest they can be.

"We listened to our communities and wider stakeholders and understand the need for us to take the lead on river health. We must go further to do the right thing.

“The only way to make a real difference is to identify clear and actionable commitments and provide real transparency on our progress. We cannot do this alone, we need everyone to understand their role in river health. That is why we are committed to redoubling our own efforts and investment to help others reduce their impact as well as our own.”