Campaigners against the dumping of sewage pollution in the River Severn staged a smelly protest outside the office of Shrewsbury & Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski this morning.
Arriving with a wheelbarrow full of manure and a toilet, campaigners from the Shrewsbury River Action group called on the town’s MP to stop sewage being dumped into the River Severn.
At the same time, blue plaques appeared along the riverside commemorating the controversial vote in Parliament a year ago which saw the majority of Conservative MPs reject an attempt by the House of Lords to clamp down on the discharge of sewage into rivers and coastal areas.
The plaques read: ‘Daniel Kawczynski 20th October 2021 Voted to allow raw sewage to be dumped in this river. Shameful.’
Kenny Anderson, a spokesperson for Shrewsbury River Action said: “A year ago Shrewsbury & Atcham’s MP voted down a proposal that would have ensured water companies had a legal duty to reduce discharges into our rivers. Since then, the River Severn has seen thousands of hours of sewage dumped in Shrewsbury while water companies make billions in profits. One sewer overflow on Burr’s Field, a river walk many residents know well, discharged sewage for 3,479 hours in 2021. That’s just one overflow out of many in the town.”
In September, the government was accused of an unprecedented ‘attack on nature’ by wildlife charities including the RSPB and Wildlife Trust after plans were announced to amend or scrap key environmental laws that protect wildlife, as well as clean water, clean air, and clean beaches and rivers.[3]
According to current government policy, water companies will now have until 2050 to ensure that all storm overflows discharging into waterways are improved. This has been described as ‘a licence to pump sewage’ by opposition MPs.
Kenny Anderson said: “You wouldn’t leave a toilet overflowing for 28 years and we shouldn’t do the same with our waterways. The River Severn river lies at the heart of Shrewsbury. We all swim in it, boat on it, fish in it, and walk along it on a daily basis. So why isn’t our MP fighting to stop it from being turned into an open sewer? This is an attack on nature. Mr Kawczynski needs to decide whether he’s on the side of his constituents or the water companies. He can’t represent both.”
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