All we wanted was to protect the River Wye from pollution. Now we’re stuck in a catch-22 theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Bathing status for the Wye has been rejected by the Welsh government.

'The only way to protect the river is to prove people swim in it – but to have people actually in the water, according to the Welsh government, is to environmentally endanger it.' 🤡

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

It really is the most extraordinary disgrace that Welsh Government / Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru | Natural Resources Wales would 1) not only fail to protect the Wye 2) not only dismiss the attempts of ordinary people to rectify the damage 3) but to *JUSTIFY* their dismissal by implying those very people are the problem.

Guardians of the environment you know. 👇🤬

You what, Wales? No protective bathing status for Wye because ‘having bathers in the river will harm the environment, considering its protected status'

Swimming is now officially an act of resistance. #LoveYourRiver #savethewye

theguardian.com/commentisfree/… theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Here ya go, here's a whole list of them (incomplete).

@Thameswater, United Utilities, Southern Water, South West Water, Severn Trent, Anglian Water, Wessex Water, Yorkshire Water 💧, Northumbrian Water and on and one and on...

Now here's a question.

Why in God's name do you even have to apply for bathing water status in the first place? How come our rivers aren't clean enough already?

'Cleanest since the industrial revolution', my arse.

Thurlestone Beach CSOs in slowmo

MH Innovation River Trent. In 2023 Severn Trent spent 21,776 hours on 2,939 occasions dumping sewage into river.

Currently listed by EA as generically achieving just 'Moderate' ecological status.

Among primary reasons for not achieving 'Good' status, why would you look at that, sewage. 🤬

Did I mention that the largest source of pollution in England's rivers is agriculture?

And National Farmers' Union does what exactly?

'Six companies who missed a deadline to produce real-time maps of spills have quietly released them now dry weather has returned'

Those maps could have helped people avoid getting sick. But water companies don't care about that, only their PR.

thetimes.co.uk/article/water-…

How utterly marvellous. 👏👏👏

Feargal Sharkey This isn't publishing real time data. It's a map of ticks on a proprietary platform, hidden behind an inaccessible website, behind innumerable conditions buttons in a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'.

Here we go again. 😢

More environmental catastrophe at the mouth of the Tees - this time a mass wash up of dead cockles at Hartlepool.

Those we trust to be guardians of our local environment are failing badly.

Vote them out!

Feargal Sharkey Chris Packham

Feargal Sharkey Thames Water 💧 It was over 18 hours at one point, then the figures mysteriously changed later that day 🤷‍♀️ This dumping is such a regular occurrence at this not-fit-for-purpose facility. Yet demand keeps being allowed to increase through developments, with insufficient investments and upgrades

I take it that was't in any English river?

What's a good time to start cutting the grass without annoying the neighbours? 😎

It's Wednesday, has the minister held a roundtable yet?

Thanks Feargal Sharkey Key message to customers of Yorkshire Water 💧 seems to be, 'Don't worry, we've got this in hand, trust us!'

Reassured anybody?

Watch this!

experience.arcgis.com/experience/45b…

'UK water sports alliance calls on government to end ‘death-knell’ pollution.'

Well done British Rowing et all.

theguardian.com/sport/2024/apr…