'Raw sewage' stench in River Severn leaves Bridgnorth anglers holding their nose
Anglers at a fishing competition in Bridgnorth on Sunday were among those left holding their nose, when the smell of "raw sewage" on the River Severn followed heavy rain at the weekend.
Severn Trent Water said it is investigating after complaints emerged in both Ironbridge and Bridgnorth over the weekend over a "frothy substance" on the surface of the river and a "terrible smell" emanating from the water.
Brian Preece, chairman of the Bridgnorth Angling Society, said while they did not have to call a halt to their club match along the river on Sunday, many of the visiting anglers had complained about the stench.
He said: "We have been getting it for a few years now and for those of us that regularly fish along Bridgnorth we are used to it, but we did get a lot of complaints from some of the visiting anglers on Sunday about the terrible smell.
"It was a members match. We had about 32 taking part and those fishing in Highley reported seeing 'slabs of foam' floating down the river, and the smell was very obvious on the riverbank.
"Whenever there is heavy rain we know that it is going to result in sewage in the river - it happens all the time."
Anglers were not the only ones to notice something amiss on the Severn at the weekend. Residents in Ironbridge noticed "froth" on the surface of the river on Sunday morning.
John Fletcher said: "I was walking the dog down by the river at Dale End Park, Ironbridge, on Sunday morning. There seemed to be a lot of white frothy stuff flowing down the river.
"I actually thought it was some sort of froth. After closer inspection it turns out it was raw sewage and so much of it - the flow went on for a while, in fact was still going on after I left.
"Something needs to be done. It is disgusting, whoever is responsible for this."
A spokesman for Severn Trent Water said the water company was investigating whether "the substance that the residents have reported seeing might have been related to any of our assets".
He added that the river is "relatively fast-moving and the heavy rain that we saw over the weekend could have resulted in any number of things washing into the river".
The news comes after the water company announced that water bills are set to rise from £1.15 a day, to £1.42 a day by 2030 as Severn Trent invests nearly £13 billion in its infrastructure, including a pledge to clean up the region's rivers.
