River Wye’s Health Downgraded
The River Wye’s health status has been downgraded by Natural England, as wildlife charities accuse the government of failing to stop farming pollution harming the waterway. The government nature watchdog has updated the status of the river from “unfavourable-improving” to “unfavourable-declining”, meaning its condition is poor – and worsening. The assessment shows the river, which flows for 155 miles from mid-Wales to the Severn estuary in England,
Joan Edwards, the director of public affairs at the Wildlife Trusts, said: “That the Wye is in even worse condition now will come as no surprise to the people that love and live near it. But this new admission represents a shocking failure by the agencies and authorities in Wales and England that are supposed to protect this once beautiful river.