Start of Shrewsbury flood season a 'smelly reminder' of sewage in the Severn
As Shrewsbury heads into flooding season, one town councillor says high water is a "smelly reminder" of sewage dumping in the River Severn.
Human excrement has been found at the flooded Pig Trough footpath in Coton Hill in the town before, and Shrewsbury councillor Alex Wagner says it could happen again over the coming weeks.
He visited the burst banks of the Severn at the well-used footpath.
"Flooding throughout January and February is becoming a constant of life in Shrewsbury, despite pledges of action from the Government," he said.
Councillor Wagner has previously waded into the Severn to test water quality and discovered poor health indicators. He is now continuing his campaign to clean up the river, and will be petitioning residents on new plans to fund clean-up efforts.
Under these proposals, stopping dumping and improving the health of the river would be funded by taxing profit-making water companies like Severn Trent, who made pre-tax profits of £270 million last year.
“High water and flooding will serve as a smelly reminder of the state of the Severn this year. Despite water companies making hundreds of millions in profit, towns like ours nestled in the banks of the river are forced to put up with sewage and human waste being dumped on our doorsteps. It’s just not right.
“I’m going to be petitioning and calling on the Government to introduce a tax on profits made by water companies like Severn Trent, ring-fenced to clean up local rivers and waterways. If I was our MP, I would table watertight legislation specifically aimed at making this happen.
“I’m born and bred in this town and love it to bits - my dad used to tell me stories of swimming in the Severn at the Quarry in summer when he was a kid. There are many good reasons not to do that now, and it is a dire shame that amongst them is the amount of raw, unprocessed human excrement you’d encounter.
"We simply have to do better at protecting our natural environment.”
