Anglers track river pollution with shocking results

More than 80% of rivers failed tests for phosphate pollution when tested by anglers frustrated by lack of government action on the issue.

Fish swimming in a clean river, UK
Fish swimming in a clean river, UK

Anglers have become disturbed by falling water quality in rivers they fish in, according to charity the Angling Trust.

Phosphate pollution causes an overload of nutrients in water bodies, which leads to excessive growth of algae and plants, lowering levels of oxygen in the water, and threatening plants, insects and wildlife that live in the river.

The pollution has mainly been caused by the water and agricultural industries, by water regulators have reduced testing and monitoring.

Under current government targets to reduce phosphate pollution in rivers, water companies could simply strip phosphate only on their largest sewage works serving large populations, and at the bottom end of rivers, the trust said.

This would mean that they could achieve the targets with the lowest level of investment, while the majority of rivers upstream and those with smaller wastewater works would still suffer from high levels of phosphate and pollution, the trust said.

Current environment laws to tackle river pollution are blunt tools that come with no guidance as to where phosphate reductions should be made to see the biggest improvements

Pollution monitoring

In response, the Angling Trust has mobilised a community of angler citizen scientists to monitor and understand what is happening below the surface.

The trust distributed more than 400 monitoring kits and trained anglers to use them. More than 600 anglers from 240 angling clubs now actively monitor pollution on 190 rivers across 60 catchments, resulting in more than 3,800 water samples.

Of the 163 rivers where regular samples were recorded, 83% failed to meet the phosphate standard for ‘good ecological status’ in at least one sample.

Water treatment works, UK
Water treatment works, UK

The river catchments with the worst pollution levels were the Medway; Swale, Ure, Nidd and Upper Ouse; Severn Middle Worcestershire; Loddon and tributaries; Wey and tributaries; Warwickshire Avon; Ribble; Hampshire Avon; Upper and Bedford Ouse.

Volunteers army

Stuart Singleton White, Angling Trust’s head of campaigns, said: “Current environment laws to tackle river pollution are blunt tools that come with no guidance as to where phosphate reductions should be made to see the biggest improvements.

“Much stronger regulations are essential to ensure money is invested where it will make the most positive difference. Otherwise, polluters will play accountancy versus ecology to meet environmental targets, boasting about the level of investment but not delivering the environmental improvements needed,” he said.

Comedian Paul Whitehouse, a keen angler and clean water campaigner who last year presented a BBC documentary on the issue, said: “The Angling Trust has mobilised its army of volunteers to safeguard and improve the quality of our waterways by gathering evidence to hold polluters to account. Hats off to them.”