Environment Agency: Maintaining Severn Would Have ‘Little Benefit’

A pleasure boat operator says he fears for the future of his cruises due to silt and other issues on the River Severn in Shrewsbury. Dilwyn Jones said flooding and other environmental factors were making life on the river harder. “We need to take action fairly soon otherwise it won’t be navigable,” he said.

Maintaining the river channel would have little benefit in stopping floods, the Environment Agency (EA) said. […] A spokesperson for the EA said it was not funded to carry out maintenance to support river uses like boating in Shrewsbury.

Concerns have also been raised over pollution in the waterway with a campaign under way to get the area designated as a bathing site. […] There are more than 10 combined sewer overflows in the loop of the river around Shrewsbury – one of them discharged sewage for the equivalent of 108 days non stop in 2022. The Shrewsbury campaign is being led by Alison Biddulph, from Shropshire Wild Swimmers and Dippers, who says she wants to see the water quality improved. “I think a lot of people swim when they’re not very well informed about what they are swimming in,” she added. Water firm Severn Trent has faced anger in recent months over the amount of sewage being discharged into the Severn and a spokesperson said the firm was investing heavily into the area. In about two years’ time the company’s work would have no impact on the river, they added, and promised more details on the plans soon.

Source: Yahoo! News, BBC Midlands Today.