Glyn Marshall, 68, has spent the last four years testing water quality at the Severn in Worcester after growing frustrated with fishing surrounded by toilet paper and sanitary towels.
A Severn Trent spokesperson said it is making major strides in safeguarding the region’s rivers, delivering improvements at 1,800 sites so far.
He has since been involved with The Angling Trust, leading a group of 57 testers along the river who have collected over 10,000 samples in the last two years.
“It is not any better than it was when I started four years ago,” he admitted.
“If anything, it is probably getting worse.
POLLUTION: Glyn Marshall fears the River Severn will continue to deterioriate (Image: Glyn Marshall)
“All the things that happen in the river are being compromised and it is just a sorry state really.”
Mr Marshall puts the issues down to a multitude of factors, including Severn Trent Water Treatment Works discharging into the river, agricultural pollution, road run-off and prescription drugs ending up in the river.
“The old boys that have regularly fished on this river for donkey’s years, they will tell you that the river has really changed,” he said.
“It really has dramatically changed
“It is a worry. Worcester used to thrive on the river, salmon used to be prolific in the river. It is not the same river as it was even 10 years ago.”
After putting in a request last year, Mr Marshall was assured by Severn Trent it was putting in a method to strip further phosphates out by May 2026.
“If you think nothing has been done with the phosphate for years, you are probably waiting another five to 10 years before we see any changes after that,” he said.
“My grandchildren will not have the same River Severn as it was when I was a teenager.
“The river won’t be the same unless something is massively done. It is the same across the country.
“Our water courses are under so much pressure and it is going to take a long time.”
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A Severn Trent Water spokesperson added: “We are currently delivering a £24 million programme of works at Worcester Sewage Treatment Works to further reduce phosphates in the treated wastewater which is returned to the environment and will be completed by May 2026.
“We are absolutely committed to improving the health of rivers, so our communities can enjoy them for generations to come.
“We are striving towards global best practice here in the Midlands. We’ve so far reduced our impact on rivers to 10.5% of Reasons for Not Achieving Good Status, as defined by the Environment Agency, and we’ll get that down to 2% by 2030.”