Severn Trent “set the record straight”

Severn Trent “want to set the record straight” over fears sewage will be dumped into a Shropshire river.

A petition “to stop the pipe” has reached over 6,000 signatures, with locals and environmentalists worried that a four-mile pipe will be built to carry sewage effluent from Bishop’s Castle and “dump it” in the river Onny.

There are also signs along the A489 near the river highlighting the issue.

Currently, the effluent is discharged from the river Kemp, a tributary of the River Clun. Regulations that apply to the Clun require any additional pollution, such as from housing development, be offset by a reduction elsewhere in the same catchment.

The Onny is home to various wildlife, including otters, kingfishers and dippers. It also contains a strong population of brown trout and grayling, as well as being an important ground for Atlantic salmon.

However, locals are concerned that Severn Trent is planning to transport the sewage effluent over a hill into the next valley where the Onny flows.

“This plan represents a blatant disregard by Severn Trent for their responsibilities, and sets a terrible precedent for the rest of the country,” said John Wood from the Onny Preservation Group.

“They should focus their efforts on cleaning up the river Clun, not polluting another stream in a separate catchment.”

Mr Wood added that the Environment Agency (EA), Natural England and Shropshire Council should withold support for any such plan.

“It is beyond belief that these organisations could back such a damaging plan,” he said.

“They should indicate their lack of support immediately.”

However, Severn Trent says the planned scheme would not involve untreated sewage.

“We understand why people feel strongly about the river Onny, and as there’s a lot of misinformation circulating regarding this proposed transfer scheme, it’s important to set the record straight and put peoples’ minds at ease,” said a spokesperson for the company.

“First and foremost,  the proposal has been put together in consultation with the EA and Natural England to support the Clun’s designation as a Special Area of Conservation and has been designed to transfer water that has been through our full treatment process, not untreated sewage.

“Importantly, there is no guarantee that this project will proceed. Both the EA and Natural England will need to be satisfied that the proposed option will not negatively impact either the Onny or the Clun, or have any detrimental impact on its biodiversity and wildlife.  Should these tests not be met, consent for the works will not be given.

“Due to this proposal being in its earliest stages, we have currently only had conversations with potentially affected landowners. If consent to proceed is given, we will of course hold local community and stakeholder engagement sessions to discuss the plans in more detail.”