Campaign aims to ‘give river its sparkle back’published at 11:05 British Summer Time

11:05 BST

Lisa Young
BBC News, South West

Two men and a woman are standing on a wooden bridge. One of them is lowering a bucket down to the river, which is out of shot. There are hedges and trees lining the river banks.Image source, Otter Valley Association

Across Devon and Cornwall, volunteers are setting about restoring waterways, including the “sick” River Otter.

They say the middle and lower parts of the River Otter, in Devon, is so contaminated with sewage-related pollutants, it is now classed in the bottom fifth of England’s rivers for water quality.

The Otter Valley Association says figures show the river, rated poor by the Environment Agency, had the highest phosphate levels of any major watercourse in Devon and Cornwall.

The EA says about 70% of the phosphate levels come from the sewage system.

A section of the River Otter. It is a murky green and its surface is still and speckled with white dots.Image source, Otter Valley Association

The association reports South West Water (SWW) had discharged untreated sewage into the River Otter for more than 15,000 hours in 2024.

Campaigners say they met with SWW representatives last month and were told the water firm had no plans to invest in that section of infrastructure for at least the next five years.

Chairman Haylor Lass says: “This river is the lifeblood of our landscape, and it’s been neglected for far too long. We are standing together – locals, anglers, experts and nature lovers – to give the Otter back its sparkle.”