Food producer Avara to be sued over chicken farms allegedly polluting the River Wye

One of the UK's biggest food producers is being sued for allegedly damaging the River Wye.

Law firm Leigh Day claims that industrial-scale chicken farming in Herefordshire, supplying Avara Foods, has been the overwhelming cause of phosphorous pollution in the river.

The River Wye flows for 150 miles, largely along the border of England and Wales.

Poultry production in the area has expanded rapidly in recent years, with around 23 million birds being produced in the River Wye catchment area at any one time.

Avara said it has published a plan to ensure chicken farms in its supply chain no longer contribute excess phosphate into the River Wye.

The solicitors say the company - which supplies Tesco - is responsible for the existing damage and was being sued on behalf of people living in the Wye catchment who have been impacted by river pollution.

The law firm says the deterioration of the Wye has damaged the lives and livelihoods of people living in the area, including swimmers, canoeists, walkers and anglers.

Partner at Leigh Day, Oliver Holland, who is handling the claim said: "This destruction of one of the UK's most beautiful natural areas cannot continue, which is why we are bringing legal action."

Campaigners from River Action said: “It is entirely appropriate that the polluter must now be made to pay to clean up the mess we believe it has created and subsequently profited from."

The charity has already accused the Environment Agency of not doing enough to protect the River Wye from pollution, in separate legal action.

Last year, the status of the river was downgraded to "unfavourable-declining" status by Natural England, the government's nature watchdog, after a decline in Atlantic salmon.

Lawyers from Leigh Day say that industrial-scale chicken farming is generating significant quantities of phosphorus-rich manure, which is running into the soil and the river.

They claim that this is raising phosphorous levels in the water, which is causing algal blooms leading to biodiversity loss and a reduction in water quality.

Thousands of people living in the area around the River Wye could share hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation if the legal claim is successful.

A spokesperson from Avara Food said the claim had "no merit" and they are confident "there is no case to defend".

"It ignores the long-standing use of phosphate-rich fertiliser by arable farms as well as the clear scientific data showing the issue of excess phosphorus considerably pre-dates the growth of poultry farms in the Wye catchment," they added.