An angler fishing on one of Britain’s most famous rivers recently lost around £1,000 worth of tackle as it was washed into the river and contaminated by a sudden release of foul-smelling sewage.
Chris Hallows was fishing on the Severn at Bridgnorth when, at around 2pm following a light shower, he started to smell something revolting.
“Initially, I didn’t think much of it, as bad smells are pretty common on the river these days,” he told us.
“Suddenly, I saw one of my bags, which I had placed alongside the rest of my kit on the bank behind me, floating downstream! I turned around and was shocked to see a torrent of vile, stinking sewage going straight into the Severn, taking a load of my tackle with it.
THERE IS SOME GREAT BARBEL FISHING AVAILABLE ON THESE DAY TICKET STRETCHES.
“At the time, there were children playing in the river just a few hundred yards downstream, dogs in the water, and people going past on kayaks.”
There were three releases in short succession, in which Chris lost a rod, a tray filled with tackle he’d built up over the years, and a host of other items in the torrent.
“The gear I did recover, such as my net bag and bait bag, absolutely stink and are badly contaminated. I don’t want to use them again.
“I’m still realising other items that I lost – you know what it’s like with tackle, you build it up over the years and take it all with you, not noting each specific item.”
Environmental concerns
But for Chris, his priority isn’t the lost kit – it’s the fact that this happened in the first place.
“I’m an angler, but my love of nature and wildlife comes first,” he explained.
“Seeing swans and ducks swimming in this filthy brown water, the smell of which I can’t describe, filled with condoms and sanitary towels, really touched a nerve. There are highly protected peregrine falcons roosting opposite the spot, which are no doubt hunting in the area.
“My priority was therefore filming and taking pictures of what unfolded, so I had evidence of what happened.
“You hear about things like this across the country, but to witness it in broad daylight was horrific,” he added.
A GOOD FISHING CHAIR WILL STOP YOU BEING SWEPT AWAY!
No excuses
Chris didn’t hesitate to contact the Environment Agency (EA), who visited the scene alongside representatives from Severn Trent water.
“Whilst staff did come out whilst I was there, what I saw from them wasn’t good enough,” Chris revealed.
“They took water samples upstream, above the outlet, which won’t paint the whole picture. They also told me that things like this can happen when it rains, but this clearly wasn’t flood water – it was sewage!
“As it happens, the pipe then started pumping clear water, almost as if someone was trying to cover their tracks.”
Chris explained that, when he started fishing and put his seatbox in the margins, the riverbed was clear and clean gravel. But when he went to pack up, it covered in vile-smelling sludge.
“The EA staff put a dye in the river which can find the source of the pollution, and that clearly showed it was from the pipe behind me,” he added.
“There is concrete evidence that both they and I have of what happened, and we can’t just let this fizzle out.
“There’s absolutely no excuse for incidents like this, especially with the Severn at an all-time low. It’s not rained properly here for months,” Chris added.
The response
We asked Severn Trent Water for their take on the situation experience, who told us that this storm overflow was activated following ‘a period of rainfall’.
“The storm overflow here is operating as it was designed, however we are committed to reduce the use of all storm overflows to 1% by 2030,” a spokesperson told us.
Additionally, they added that the idea of ‘covering their tracks’ was incorrect, with the cleaner water released after the sewage ‘very likely’ surface water from further across the catchment.
We also asked the EA for comment, who told us they’ve launched an investigation into this incident and therefore couldn’t comment on an ongoing enquiry.
“We take our role in protecting people and the environment very seriously and won’t hesitate to take enforcement action if necessary,” they added. “If anyone sees suspected environmental pollution, they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 807060.”
What a sh*t show
DESPITE recent Government announcements on cutting sewage pollution in half by 2030 and the abolishment of Ofwat, their actions have been met with widescale ambivalence from the fishing fraternity.
“Anglers have heard it all before — pledges, promises, and grand plans to fix the sewage scandal. Yet year after year, water pollution gets worse, not better,” said Angling Trust CEO, Jamie Cook. “This government — like those before it — will be judged on outcomes, not headlines.”
And, judging by figures in a new report, there’s huge work to be done, as a steep rise in ‘serious incidents’ in 2024 compared to the previous year was reported. Below are some of the concerning headline figures:
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Serious incidents up 60 per cent, with 75 recorded in 2024, up from 47 in 2023.
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81 per cent of these serious incidents were the responsibility of three water companies: Thames Water (33), Southern Water (13) and Yorkshire Water (11).
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All pollution incidents increased by 29 per cent last year, with water companies recording 2,801 incidents, up from 2,174 in 2023.
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Untreated sewage was discharged for a record total of 3,614,427 hours through storm overflows – 8,558 hours more than last year.
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On average, each overflow discharged for eight hours each time a spill took place, up on 2023’s figure of just under eight hours.
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In carrying out more 4,000 inspections of water company assets last year, the EA found that 24 per cent of sites breached their permits.
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