Action urged to check on sewage incidents in River Avon as it passes by Rugby

The town makes little of the fact that Shakespeare’s famous River Avon passes by, before weaving its way to Stratford and beyond – but today, Wednesday, September 28, Labour councillors will be asking the borough council to check whether any sewage dumping has taken place in the stretch on its patch. The smaller River Swift joins the Avon near Tesco.

In a notice of motion to this evening’s full council meeting, Labour has asked the leader of the council to write to Severn Trent to ask for details of dumping incidents and for this information to be provided annually. He has also been asked to write to the Environment Agency to ask for details of the monitoring that is carried out on the Avon in Rugby.

Concern has been raised nationally that while the law allows sewage outflows under certain conditions, these incidents have been increasing and monitoring has been variable.

On the positive side of the equation, Labour says in 2013 water quality in the river had improved so much there were otters living in it close to Tesco’s roundabout.

But they are concerned about the current state of play following an assessment of reports about incidents in 2021.

Cllr Alison Livesey proposed the motion and said: “We don’t know where the dumping took place, but if it happened upstream of Rugby or from our own sewage works, we effectively have an open sewer running through our town, villages and surrounding farmland.

“This is not only degrading our environment but it’s a threat to human and animal health,”

Cllr Maggie O’Rourke seconded the motion and added: “It’s outrageous that the water company can do this without anyone being informed.”

“When my daughters were small their youth club that took them canoeing on the river. I’d be really worried if I saw any child in or on the river today,” Cllr Livesey added.

The Advertiser will do a further report following this evening’s meeting.