Shrewsbury councillors Alex Wagner and David Vasmer have met with Severn Trent ‘River Rangers’ at Monkmoor Sewage Treatment Plant, to tour the facility and learn more about combined sewage outlets into the Severn.
The pair viewed the process from sewer waste to the water that enters rivers in CSOs around Shrewsbury, and talked through the challenges of a Victorian sewer system.
This comes after the launch of a local Lib Dem petition to introduce a ‘Sewage Tax’ to fund river clean-up. There is also a backdrop of the run-up to a Shrewsbury Town Council special meeting on the 27th of February to discuss sewage in the River Severn around town.
Councillor Alex Wagner, who represents Bowbrook, said:
“The state of the River Severn is a top issue that comes up time and time again on doorsteps around Shrewsbury. People want to take pride in the town, which is hard when our footpaths and parks are often faced with overspill of human excrement.
“I was very grateful to Severn Trent for showing us around their facility at Monkmoor. It is vitally important to understand the scale of the challenge in cleaning up sewage in the Severn, and what actions water companies are taking. In particular, I raised the problems with Pig’s Trough in Coton Hill and the impact on river quality from sewage dumping around Monkmoor, Underdale and Castlefield weir.
“Public pressure is clearly making policy change and shunting the issue up the agenda at Severn Trent. This said, I strongly feel there still needs to be wholesale change in Government policy on sewage in our rivers or we will never make the progress needed, as reassuring as it is that there is local action being taken to ease public concerns.”
The local Liberal Democrat petition to clean up the River Severn is still open and can be signed here. It has now reached over 700 signatures.
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