Stories from the River Wye

Justine's story

Justine is acting as the lead claimant. She works in wildlife film making for international broadcasters and moved to the Wye area in 2012. 

Justine recalls that the River Wye used to be clear, with the natural growth of plants and wildlife on and beneath its surface easily visible. But in recent years, she has seen a stark decline in its condition. 

Around the time of the Covid pandemic, Justine observed a large algal bloom which gave the river a pea soup appearance. She says the condition has continued to worsen in the years since, leaving it in a murky and slimy state.  

Having previously enjoyed activities such as swimming and canoeing in the Wye, Justine now feels more cautious about direct contact with the water and, like many people she knows, would not want to put her head under the water.  

As a result, Justine now spends far less time around the river. She is concerned about the possible health effects of swimming in the Wye, and feels the connection between the community and the river has been damaged.  

Justine said: 

“The River Wye is a beautiful place that so many people get enjoyment from. It offers a special, natural relationship between people and the environment. This connection is something that should be nurtured, but instead it is being shattered by the worsening state of the river.  

“My relationship with the river has completely changed in recent years, to the point I no longer feel comfortable going in it. It’s horrible to think what has happened to the wildlife it is home to. Kids are growing up seeing the river now as it is now thinking this is its normal state, but it’s just not what rivers should look like. 

“I now have to cast my mind far back to try and think ‘what did the river used to be like?’. The feeling of contentment I used to get from being in the river has all but disappeared.” 

Roland's story

Roland is a swimmer and Olympian, having competed in the Olympics three times in 1984, 1988 and 1992, and was a finalist at all three. He has been swimming and racing with the army as a reservist for almost 30 years. 

Roland moved to Bredwardine, Herefordshire, in 2020 to be able to swim in open water locally as part of his swimming with the army, which sees him take part in open water races as well as taking on coaching and lifeguarding duties. However, since moving to the area he has rarely been able to swim in the River Wye.  

Roland has found the river uncomfortable to swim in, with cloudy water that smells and tastes unpleasant, as well as stones and rocks on the riverbed that are slimy due to algae. As a result, Roland often has to pay to swim in swimming pools and lakes instead, and is not able to swim in the River Wye as intended when he moved to the area.  

Roland said: 

"The River Wye is historically a great place for open water swimming, and it was this that attracted me to the area in order to complement and support my swimming for the army. But since moving to the area, I've barely been able to swim in the river.  

"The water feels uncomfortable to be in - it's cloudy, it tastes and smells bad, and the stones on the riverbed are slimy and sticky. The River Wye is a great area and has some unique features that should make it a hotspot for outdoor swimming. But now, I'd actually go as far as to warn people against going in."

Matthew's story

Matthew has been impacted by the Lugg planning moratorium, which has caused a five-year delay to his planned development of out-of-use office space into accommodation. 

In 2018, Matthew purchased a high street shop in Leominster with offices and a workshop attached, which had previously been vacant for some time. While he successfully rented out the shop, Matthew’s plans to convert the unused offices and workshop into living spaces were delayed by the ban on planning applications in the Lugg area.  

The delay has seen him miss out on a development grant, as well as lower interest rates which would have been available to him at the time he initially lodged his planning application in 2020.  

Developers are able to pay into a levy scheme through purchasing ‘phosphate credits’ in order to progress their application. However, these credits only became available to Matthew earlier this year. He estimates that the delay to his project will create tens of thousands of pounds of extra cost.  

Matthew said: 

“The hold up on planning applications being approved in Leominster has seen a massive delay in my planned development, and I believe has affected many people in the area. My plans are to convert an of out-of-use office space into accommodation, and these have only recently been approved following a five-year delay and a requirement to purchase phosphate credits. It has been an immensely frustrating experience which has caused costs of the project to increase by a significant amount, and made me question whether I would have started the process had I known how much of an issue this would cause.”

Jenny-May's story

Jenny-May from Hereford has lived in the area for most of her life. Two years ago, she and her husband bought a house next to the Wye so that she could wild swim every day and her family could enjoy the river more.  

She fondly remembers swimming in the river as a child and described being “immersed in such vibrant life. There were beautiful water crowfoot beds, the birds and the fish – all the insects- but all of that has gone now”. 

Jenny-May claims that the water quality has declined so much that sometimes she cannot spend time in her garden due to the smell of the river.  

Jenny-May said: 

“We were so excited to have this opportunity to live by the water. My family loves to paddle board and canoe together. Living by the river provides an affordable way of enjoying this kind of healthy activity - and is a huge part of our exercise and family time. 

“Growing up in Herefordshire we would swim in the Wye and Lugg all the time, so it feels like home. When we moved in, we were aware of the pollution, but now being so close to the river, I see it getting worse almost on a daily basis. I haven’t seen any live fish this year and the smell is so bad sometimes I don’t want to go into our garden. 

“Sometimes I’ve been in the river, and I’ve had a rash afterwards. I think it’s having an effect on the value of our property as well. 

“I feel really strongly that any person connected with the river has a duty to use their rights to stand up for the river; this amazing river which gives so much and which doesn’t have a voice or any rights of its own. 

“It’s an immensely important part of our economy, our community and our interconnection with the natural world.” 

Justin's story  

Justin lives by the River Wye and grew up in the area, but says he no longer feels the river is safe to swim in. He has noticed a significant deterioration of the Wye over the years with it becoming dirtier, muddier and cloudier, as well as a there being an increasing amount of algae. He feels that chicken manure pollution is a major contributing factor. 

Justin’s family own a regenerative farm, and through this experience he feels that ecological issues with the river and surrounding area can be fixed. Justin also has experience in the environment industry, having previously been head of National Trust Wales for more than decade, and is a long-standing advocate for sustainable food and regenerative farming.  

Justin said: 

“I have seen at first hand the deterioration of the River Wye, both growing-up and living in the area. It has become dirtier, muddier and cloudier, and no longer feels safe to swim in, with chicken manure pollution a major contributing factor amongst a number of issues.  

"But there is a chance to still save the Wye. The area can be regenerated, something which we saw briefly during the Covid pandemic as operations in the area slowed. There are steps that can be taken to ensure the river returns to a healthy state, and plenty of hope yet for the Wye as long as these are implemented." 

Gino's story 

Gino lives beside the River Usk in the Raglan area, where he walks his dog most days. Over the past few years, he has noticed the visible deterioration of the river, which has become cloudy with build-ups of foam occurring at various points, as well as emitting an unpleasant odour. 

Gino feels unable to paddle or swim in the river, or even to let his dog do so. This is in contrast to the condition of the river when Gino was growing up in the 1980s, during which time he has many happy memories of paddling and swimming in the river.  

A chicken shed is also located near to Gino’s house, which he says has brought with it a problem with chicken manure odour in his back garden, as well as problems with flies and insects around his house.   

Gino said: 

"Having grown up around the River Usk in the 1980s, I know just how beautiful the river and surrounding area can be. I have many happy memories of swimming and paddling in the river when I was younger. But this is sadly now something you aren't really able to do. 

"The river has become mucky and cloudy, and you can see build-ups of foam in a number of spots. Not only would I feel uncomfortable going in, but I'd also have concerns for my health.  

"My house is also now located near a chicken shed which itself has brought problems with odour from manure, which I can often smell from my own back garden."