River Wye at Hereford Bridge drops to 2cm deep as heatwave and dry spell hits

Stretches of the River Wye in Hereford are now only 2cm deep following an extreme heat warning.

The River Wye is normally 3.3m deep but due to a long dry spell and no rain, some parts of the river has slowly dried out to a mere 2cm.

An environment campaigner has told ITV News Central the hot weather and low water levels are an "environmental crisis".

Charles Watson, chairman and founder of the campaign group River Action, said he did not expect the river levels to drop as low as they have.

"There is no other way to describe it - it's an environmental crisis"

Speaking to ITV News Central, Mr Watson said: "We didn't expect the levels to drop this low, we were anticipating a nightmare situation this summer just under normal conditions, primarily because of the levels of phosphate and pollution that are there in the river."

He adds that the River Wye is struggling because of the concentration levels of pollution.

"We are looking at a river that is dying," he said.

"A clean would be struggling in these conditions but a river that is full of all these nutrients and filth that has been allowed to wash in over recent years is in a deeply distressed state."

Earlier this year the same monitoring area at Hereford Bridge flooded, which was caused by heavy rainfall in February.

The highest level recorded at Hereford Bridge was recorded on 17 February 2020 and stood at 6.11m.

During last month's heatwave, where temperatures reach a record high of 40 degrees Celcius, the salmon population in the River Wye came under threat.

Water from the Caban Coch reservoir was opened to increase water levels for the River Wye to save salmon in the river.

The hot weather caused oxygen levels in the water to decrease resulting in many fish dying.

Mr Watson said opening the reservoir saved the entire salmon population in the river, but added "it was only through the skin of the river's teeth a disaster was diverted."

"We are on edge, there's no other way to describe it - it's an environmental crisis."

There is currently no evidence of low oxygen levels in the River Wye, according to the Environment Agency.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: "The prolonged dry weather is continuing to cause river flows in the River Wye catchment to fall."

"Our teams are conducting flow monitoring and we are working with water companies and other abstractors to monitor resources."

The government body says it has an early warning system in place to inform river users of the levels and temperatures. 

It says temperatures for the River Wye have exceeded 20 degrees and have urged people to stop fishing for salmon and trout until temperatures have returned to normal.