River pollution: Shropshire water suppliers to be held to account

Water companies will be held to account over river pollution, a council says.

Shropshire Council said the frequent discharge of sewage into county waterways is making them unsafe.

The authority has now promised to put pressure on utility firms to invest in drainage improvements and provide timescales for mitigating the effects of pollutants.

A dedicated group will be set up to address the issue, with input from the Environment Agency.

The issue was raised at a meeting of the full council by Labour Councillor Kate Halliday, who represents Belle Vue in Shrewsbury.

The meeting was held on the same day a report from the Environmental Audit Committee, warned a "chemical cocktail" of pollution in UK rivers was putting public health at risk, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Ms Halliday said the main problem was the reliance on combined sewage overflows (CSOs), which mix rainwater and domestic waste, which release directly into rivers when they become overwhelmed during heavy rainfall.

The motion to set up the group received unanimous support across the chamber.

Seconding it, Radbrook Councillor Julia Evans said: "It's a huge problem, with an antiquated sewage system that was basically built in the Victorian times and hasn't had much funding and investment since.

"It's holding these water companies to account, that they need to invest more money into the sewage system."

Councillor Rosemary Dartnall, who represents Bayston Hill, Column and Sutton, added: "Healthy rivers are essential to support and retain biodoiversity, amongst other things.

"Polluted rivers lead directly to the decline of river-course ecosystems, something to be avoided at all costs."

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