Environment Secretary agrees to visit Shrewsbury to look at flooding and water quality issues
The new Environment Secretary has agreed to visit the county to speak to residents about flooding and water quality.
Ranil Jayawardena, who was appointed as Environment Secretary by the new Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier this week, gave the pledge to Shrewsbury & Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski.
It came after Mr Kawczynski had raised the issue in Parliament.
Speaking in the House of Commons Chamber Mr Kawczynski said: "I welcome the Secretary of State to his position.
"I am very pleased with the strength of the DEFRA team, I have already spoken to him this morning about flooding on the River Severn, but I’ve also been contacted by residents in Coton Hill about the quality of the River Severn through Shrewsbury and some of the discharge issues that he’s already heard about.
"Will he please accept my invitation to visit the River Severn and meet with residents to hear the strength of feeling that they feel about the need for him to take action on this essential issue?"
In response Mr Jayawardena said he would visit "at the earliest opportunity".
He said: "Mr Speaker, my honourable friend is a great champion on these issues and indeed I welcome what he said earlier, I would be delighted, though I don’t know what my diary is tomorrow, I would be delighted to visit at the earliest opportunity and indeed for other ministers to do the same."
Water quality has become and increasing concern with campaigners calling for action over the discharge of sewage into rivers.
Shropshire has also been repeatedly hit with flooding over the past three years, with major floods causing days of disruption and extensive damage to people's homes and businesses.
