A COALITION of celebrities, campaigners, and environmental organisations has called on restaurant chain Nando’s to take responsibility for its environmental impact, particularly regarding pollution in the River Wye.

Comedian and Gone Fishing star Paul Whitehouse – who visited Ross-on-Wye Rowing Club for his Our Troubled Rivers TV documentary – has been joined by the likes of Jo Brand, Joanna Lumley, Chris Packham, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and George Monbiot in signing an open letter demanding that Nando’s clean up its supply chain.

The letter, backed by groups such as River Action, The Rivers Trust, Friends of the Wye, and The Angling Trust, claims that factory farms supplying Nando’s are contributing to the pollution that is devastating Britain’s rivers.

The Wye has suffered significant ecological decline due to pollution from agricultural runoff, particularly from large-scale poultry farms.

Campaigners argue that waste from these farms is choking the river with excess nutrients, leading to algal blooms that suffocate wildlife.

Actor Jim Murray took the campaign a step further by releasing a video in which he stands in the River Wye wearing a full suit.

In the video, he directly addresses Nando’s CEO Mark Standish: “Mark, your chicken is killing our rivers. The industrial chicken farmers you buy your supplies from for your restaurants have literally polluted the River Wye to death.

“Your current sustainability policies are as ill-matched to the environment as a man who wears a suit in a river.”

The open letter accuses Nando’s of failing to provide transparency about its supply chain and removing information from its website following public criticism.

It urges the company to introduce a “sector-leading commitment” to protecting Britain’s rivers and to take meaningful action beyond public relations statements.

Campaigners argue that, as one of the UK’s most popular restaurant brands, Nando’s has the power to set a precedent for the industry by demanding more sustainable farming practices from its suppliers.

Nando’s has yet to respond publicly to the letter.