Television star Steve Backshall was left horrified after tests that he ran on one of the nation's biggest rivers concluded that "pollutant levels are off the scale”.
The wildlife enthusiast has been involved in campaigns to clean up our nation’s waterways and took matters into his own hands by collecting samples from the River Thames downstream of Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works.
Analysis at Bangor University concluded that the venue had dangerously high levels of various toxins. For example, concentrations of the potentially life-threatening E.coli virus were almost 4,000 times higher than what could be classed as safe to humans.
Other levels that equate to danger to aquatic species were also off the chart and Steve said: “Pollutant levels are off the scale, which could lead to the death of the entire ecosystem.
“Treat the river as a biohazard, I wouldn't even let your dog into the river."
Steve then went on to present his findings to Head of Wastewater Treatment at Thames Water, Andrew Scott, about the recent sewage discharges into the river. Within the exchange, he explained that local residents and school children were using the river for various activities.
Steve asked: "School children come down here to do Mayfly counts and you know it could make them sick, why aren't you telling anyone?"
"I'm not saying that we aren't partially responsible, but we're not responsible for letting the public know if they can use the river - that's up to them," Andrew said.
OUR RIVERS ARE IN A SPIRAL OF DECLINE, READ THIS ARTICLE TO FIND OUT JUST HOW BAD THEY ARE DOING.
This page is a free example of the amazing content Angling Times Members get every single week. Becoming an Angling Times Member gives you access to award-winning magazine content, member rewards, our back issue archives, bonus content and more! Join our fishing community and find out more today!