Volunteer Group Sounds Alarm Over Pollution in River Severn

As of October 1st, 2025, a volunteer group in Shrewsbury, Up Sewage Creek, has been sounding the alarm over pollution concerns in the River Severn. The group reports regularly seeing "foam-bergs" appear near a weir in the area, and their own testing has revealed high levels of phosphate that they describe as "alarming" and "above levels that would be appropriate for a good ecology status".

Severn Trent, the local water service provider, disputes the group's findings, stating that there is already well-established river monitoring in place. However, the volunteer group argues that the single monitoring station at Frankwell, which checks water quality for bathing, is not enough to give a full picture of the river's overall health.

Warren Hastings, a member of Up Sewage Creek, says that while some phosphate is naturally occurring, the high levels they've detected could be a sign of sewage contamination. The group is now calling for an additional independent testing station on the River Severn "to give an accurate, real-time picture of what is happening".

The Environment Agency, responsible for monitoring river health, has acknowledged the incident but believes the foam was caused by the decomposition of leaf litter, which is common at this time of year. Nonetheless, the volunteer group remains concerned and is determined to keep pushing for more comprehensive monitoring to ensure the River Severn is protected.