THE news about our rivers continues to get worse. The Lugg and Wye were downgraded to ‘unfavourable declining’ last May, by Natural England.

Environment Minister Therese Coffey promised that an action plan for the Wye was on its way last August, and then resigned. Her replacement Steve Barclay was asked by Herefordshire Council representatives recently when the plan will be published, but he didn’t even reply.

We are now eight months after Therese Coffey’s promise. Have the Conservatives abandoned the both the plan and the Wye?

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In the meantime, Thames Water has just over one year of money left before it needs to be bailed out. Rowers in the boat race this Easter were told not to get in the water because of high levels of e-coli due to sewage.

And recent data on local sewage discharges show the river Lugg was polluted by raw sewage 271 times in 2023, lasting 2198 hours. Similar discharges are happening nationally.

Our rivers are in a terrible state and what are our MPs doing about it? They’ve been talking about saving the Wye and Lugg for 12 years. What have they achieved?

We need a government that takes action.

BRYONY JOHN

Tenbury Wells