In a speech to the House of Lords, Lord David Lipsey discussed the deteriorating state of the River Wye, highlighting the decline of salmon, sickness to children and 'rotten egg odours’ which residents had been experiencing.
The speech came during the second reading of the Water Special Measures Bill, which was put forward in September to help address issues with water quality in the UK.
A resident of the Wye region himself, Lord Lipsey explained the worsening condition of the river, saying it had been done “untold harm” by pollution allegedly caused by manure from largescale poultry farms.
Lord Lipsey said: “Residents such as us complain about children who are sick after swimming, rotten egg odours, opaque green pea-soup blooms and brown slime on the bottom. It is not the Wye that we moved next to 30 years ago. This beautiful river is being turned into a sewage dump.”
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Addressing the House of Lords, Lord Lipsey also discussed alleged contributors to pollution in the Wye.
Avara Foods Limited, along with Cargill PLC and Freemans of Newent Limited, are facing a legal claim from residents and businesses represented by law firm Leigh Day over the alleged pollution of the River Wye.
The claim, which launched in March, alleges that poultry production in the region has resulted in large amounts of phosphorous-rich manure leaching into the river, causing algal blooms which have damaged its condition.
In September, a group of parliamentarians from the River Wye region, led by Lord Lipsey and comprising members of each main party and both houses, joined forces with lawyers at Leigh Day to raise awareness of the need to clean up the River Wye. The initial focus of the group was the debate on the Water Special Measures Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Lords on 9 October.
As part of his speech, Lord Lipsey commended the campaigning of local residents, including over 200 citizen scientists who have collected water samples in an effort to highlight the deteriorating state of the River Wye. He also recognised the work of Leigh Day in the ‘admirable’ firm’s efforts to improve the condition of the river.
Leigh Day partner Oliver Holland, who is leading the River Wye claim, said: “The support of Lord Lipsey and the other parliamentarians taking part in the group is greatly beneficial, and we are pleased that he was able to take the opportunity in the House of Lords to highlight the deterioration of the Wye as well as the alleged polluters. This can only help raise awareness of the environmental issues facing the Wye region as we continue to progress with our legal case on behalf of people whose lives and livelihoods have suffered as a result of the river’s worsening state.”
Lord Lipsey said: “The near-death state of the wye is a threat not only to local and national conservation but to this generation’s legacy to generations to come.”
The parliamentary group being led by Lord Lipsey is advancing the cause of a cleaner Wye in Parliament. It includes Jesse Norman, Conservative MP for South Herefordshire; David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe; Ellie Chowns, Green MP for North Herefordshire; and Lord Lisvane, a crossbencher and former Clerk of the House of Commons who lives close to the Wye.
The group is being supported by Leigh Day, where a team is leading a legal claim on behalf of Wye catchment area residents to tackle the issue of pollution in the river. The current claim alleges that phosphorus pollution in the Wye has been caused by mass chicken production in the area.