Home / Environment / Local River Tests Reveal Worrying Phosphate Levels
Local River Tests Reveal Worrying Phosphate Levels
10 Jun
Summary
- Volunteers found worryingly high phosphate and nitrate levels.
- Testing has occurred weekly for over a year on the River Isbourne.
- Severn Trent Water reports reduced storm overflow spills.
A year-long effort by volunteers in Gloucestershire to test the River Isbourne has uncovered "worryingly high" levels of phosphates and nitrates. The community group, Winchcombe Green Town (WGT), has been conducting weekly tests at four locations along the 14-mile river. WGT trustee Stuart Pickles highlighted that the evidence of pollution, believed to stem from agricultural fertilizers and sewage outlets, has come as a shock given the river's proximity to its source on Cleeve Hill.
Supported by Winchcombe Town Council, which funded the testing kits, the findings have been described as "very disturbing." Council chairman Jim Mason has personally observed a significant decline in the river's wildlife. In response, Severn Trent Water has reported investing £160 million in Gloucestershire to improve river health. The water company indicated that storm overflow spills at Winchcombe Sewage Treatment Works have been reduced by nearly half between 2024 and 2025, and that its phosphorous emissions in 2025 were less than a third of permitted levels.
