Angling Trust testing reveals 'sickening' pollution in River Medway
ITV News Meridian's Sarah Saunders met with anglers at the River Medway
The River Medway in Kent has been revealed as one of Britain's most polluted, in tests carried out by 600 anglers.
Analysis of river water samples taken at Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone showed some of the highest levels of phosphates, which destroy river habitats and can be harmful to humans if ingested.
The tests, involving more than 200 angling clubs, were the biggest 'citizen science' water-testing initiative ever seen in the UK.
Members of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society joined others across the country, in the Angling Trust initiative, when they noticed plant life starting to die in the River Medway between Hartfield and Poundsbridge.
Ian Tucker, Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society, said: "We are getting readings sometimes, quite often, more than 10 times what it should be and that is quite sickening.
"The effects that that has, with the phosphates and the sunlight, we get this horrible algae growing. We just didn't realise how bad it was."
Anglers are fairly confident that the problems in the River Medway are the result of sewage outfalls.
Derek Reader, Royal Tunbridge Wells Angling Society, said: "We've tested, we've seen the results of the testing, we've had the testing verified.
"We went up to Green River Farm, where the outlet is, we measured above, around and below the outfall there and got some pretty alarming results."
Greg Clark MP, Tunbridge Wells, Con, said: "The infrastructure that we have for water treatment works is not much changed from when they were first built, in the case of Tunbridge Wells right back in the 1930s and 1950s.
"So we need a comprehensive reset but we also need monitoring, these things haven't been monitored in the past."
The Angling Trust is calling for more to be done to protect waterways.
Stuart Singleton-White, The Angling Trust, said: "We'd like to see a number of things from the government, and they really are quite simple things.
"We'd like to see them properly fund the Environment Agency, who are the people who are supposed to be looking after our rivers.
"We'd like to see the Environment Agency properly enforce the laws and prosecute polluters who break the law.
"We'd like to see the water companies properly held to account, no more bonuses to executives while they are polluting our rivers."
In a statement, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "We are taking comprehensive action to tackle water pollution in our rivers and seas, with more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement.
"This includes setting highly ambitious legally binding targets to reduce water pollution from agriculture and phosphorous pollution from treated wastewater.
"We are also taking swift action against those who break the rules, including increasing funding for Ofwat, giving them new powers, and changing the law so that polluters face unlimited penalties and are rightfully held to account."
In a statement Southern Water said: "The Anglers Trust is absolutely right to highlight the impact of Phosphates and Nitrates on rivers.
"In 2016, the rules on rating rivers for ecological health were greatly tightened especially bringing in limits on these key nutrients.
"The biggest source is agricultural run off and we work very closely with farmers on helping them reduce this – and save them money.
"But phosphates also come into our wastewater treatment works from detergents and other household chemicals.
"We’ve been making huge investments in new treatment process to remove phosphates since 2020 with more than 100 works being upgraded.
"Reducing storm overflows will also improve river health. In the Fordcombe area we have identified £1.8 million of investment in sustainable drainage in the area which would slash storm releases and have applied to regulators to carry out this work."
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