Leigh Day reaches the High Court

 The legal firm Leigh Day have been collecting claimants for a case against the polluters of the River Wye for a couple of years now, and they've finally reached the High Court, with almost 4,000 people involved in the claim.

The case is that Avara Foods and Freemans of Newent (with their industrial chicken production) and Welsh Water (responsible for sewage) are polluting the River Wye, the River Lugg, and their tributaries.  Welsh Water is also being blamed for pollution in the River Usk.

They have all denied the claims.

Now they've reached the stage where the defendants must submit their responses to the claim to the High Court, and unless there is an out of court settlement, or the case is struck out, it will proceed to a civil trial.

The claimants have all made allegations against the companies - they are people who live near the chicken farms, sewage works, or have riverfront properties, and people who have businesses that depend on tourism and recreation on the river.  They are claiming damages, and want the companies to restore the rivers to their previous healthy condition.  

The river now has an ecological status of "unfavourable - declining" according to Natural England, when it used to be one of the cleanest rivers in the country.  They have been monitoring the river, and report declines in the numbers of salmon, white-clawed crayfish and macrophytes, which are aquatic plants.  Natural England attributes the decline to sewage discharge, agricultural practices and climate change.  At the moment, they are working with other local bodies like Herefordshire Council and the Herefordshire Wildlife Trust to put together a Nutrient Management Plan, in particular to reduce phosphates in the water.

The court will hear evidence from experts, including the campaign groups that have been monitoring the pollution in the river with volunteer citizen scientists, like the Friends of the Upper Wye. 

(information gathered from the Brecon and Radnor Express, Natural England, and Facebook posts from Leigh Day and others)