A meeting was held on the future of the river Wye as solutions were sought to combat the problem of pollution.

The round table meeting was organised and chaired by Jane Dodds, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid and West Wales.

It brought together representatives from across different political parties and organisations, including the National Farmers Union, Welsh Water, Friends of the Upper Wye, Conservative Senedd Members James Evans and Russell George, plus members of the public.

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As a result of the meeting, it was decided that due to the complexity of the issues faced, a multi-agency, cross party response was needed to save the river before it was declared dead.

Environment Agency modelling suggests the sources of pollution in the Wye come predominantly from agriculture and sewage.

The 155 mile long river weaves through several counties, rising in Mid Wales, and flowing through Powys, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire before reaching the Bristol Channel.

Jane Dodds AM said: “The Wye is a national treasure and living in Hay-on-Wye I am reminded of our duty to protect it every single day.

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"I felt there was a real recognition on all sides of the need for us to work together going forward and for stakeholders to keep the community informed of the progress that is being made.

"I will personally be using every lever available to me as Senedd Member to continue to pressure the Welsh Labour Government to properly fund Natural Resources Wales and to give the guidance and assistance needed to save our river."