Leominster event calls for protection of rivers Wye and Lugg

The Paradise in Peril exhibition was curated by Trish Marsh and opened by Father Guy Cole at Leominster Priory. It explores the problems facing the river Lugg and the wider Wye catchment.

This comes after Natural England officially downgraded the status of the river to "unfavourable - declining" earlier this year.

Trish Marsh, the exhibit's curator and former mayor of Leominster, said: "I met river testers who spend a considerable amount of their time working to protect the river and artists who have captured what the river used to be.

"Many people are working hard to address the issues that the plight of our rivers raises. We want our river Lugg restored. The results of agricultural and sewage pollution and their impacts are varied - for instance, construction in north Herefordshire has been at standstill for some years because of a moratorium on housebuilding due to the high phosphate levels in the Lugg."

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Herefordshire’s rivers are of natural and biological significance, and have protected status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Many visitors to the county come to visit the rivers Wye and Lugg. The Lugg, which runs through the middle of Leominster, is suffering poor water quality including phosphates, as well as declines in salmon and native white tailed crayfish.

Earlier this year, John Price was jailed for damaging parts of the river near to his home in Kingsland.

The Paradise in Peril exhibition includes displays on the aquatic life of the river Lugg and its tributaries, new data, information and sources from the Campaign to Protect Rural England, Friends of the Upper and Lower Wye groups, Welsh Water and Save the Wye, and possible solutions for the river's pollution. Local artworks, textiles and maps will also be on show.

The exhibition is open free of charge until 7th October. Opening times are 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, and from 11am to 4pm on Sunday after the church's morning service.