Catherine Fookes, MP for Monmouthshire, has today led a Westminster Hall debate to address the urgent issue of poor water quality in the UK’s rivers, lakes, and seas.

As a vocal advocate for stronger environmental protections for local rivers, Mrs Fookes highlighted the decline of the UK’s rivers, particularly River’s Wye and Usk in her constituency of Monmouthshire where she has lived for 25 years. In her speech, she called for decisive action to clean up all waterways.

“This decline in the health of our water quality is staggering and desperately needs action to repair.” Mrs Fookes remarked during the debate. “

Parents are too scared to let their kids run helter skelter into the local stream or river or lake, for fear that they will get an ear, eye or stomach infection, encounter a wet wipe, sewage or something much worse.”

During her speech, Mrs Fookes highlighted the pressing issues affecting Monmouthshire’s rivers, including the Wye and Usk, which have seen a significant decline in water quality due to high levels of phosphate pollution. This pollution has at times led to algal blooms that then starve the fish, plants and invertebrates of oxygen.

During her speech Mrs Fookes highlighted the state of the Usk and Wye which are among the most polluted rivers in the UK. In 2022 Natural Resources Wales research showed the River Usk had the highest incidence of phosphate pollution of the nine Welsh Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated rivers.

She also called for urgent measures to address the main sources of pollution, including diffuse agricultural runoff and sewage discharge with 83 per cent of phosphates in the Wye coming from diffuse agricultural sources.

She praised the government’s initiatives, such as the Water Special Measures Bill and the establishment of the Water Commission, which aim to tackle illegal sewage dumping and hold water companies accountable. However, she stressed the need for further action to address agricultural pollution and enforce existing regulations.

Mrs Fookes also mentioned the amazing efforts of local campaign groups, such as Save the River Usk led by Angela Jones, Save the Wye, Friends of the River Wye, and the Wye and Usk Foundation, and others for their brilliant work in advocating for cleaner rivers and holding authorities accountable.

She also pointed out there had been no cross-border collaboration under the previous Conservative Government and welcomed the way the UK Labour Government is working with the Welsh Labour Government to support an integrated Wye Catchment Management Plan for restoring water quality across the UK. “

We have been left a very difficult legacy due to inaction from the Tories and also the Liberal Democrats when they were in coalition. It will take much work by Government to clear up the mess in our rivers lakes and seas and fix the broken system.” Catherine concluded.

“But I am confident working cross border and in partnership with all those involved, as the Wye Catchment Partnership aims to do, we can clean up our water ways once and for all.”