Call for action over road run-off pollution hitting English rivers
Wild water swimming is the new trend. This report highlights how the often negative correlation between roads and rivers impacts on the agenda. It tells us:
Action is needed to stop pollution of English rivers by road run-off, an environmental campaigner warned.
The call came as more people have started swimming in rivers during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Jo Bradley, who worked at the Environment Agency for 20 years, said more funding was needed for measures to prevent contamination of waterways.
A government spokeswoman said it was working on a “range of interventions to tackle the sources of pollution”.
In 2016, when Environment Agency figures were last published, only 16% of rivers, lakes and streams were classed as good.
Ms Bradley, of the Stormwater Shepherds group, said tiny bits of tyre rubber, metals from brake pads and a group of hydrocarbons from emissions wash off the tarmac and into rivers.
She added that as well as hitting wildlife some hydrocarbons, such as benzo[a]pyrene, may cause cancer, and she said more needed to be done, such as introducing roadside filter drains, grit separators and storm-water filters.
“We need a funding mechanism to allow local authorities and highways authorities to introduce treatment systems,” she said.
“There are a number of recognised and proven treatment devices to capture a proportion of the pollution in road run-off.
“So government should set meaningful targets for Highways England to install these devices at polluting outfalls more quickly.”
She said the money could be raised by putting a levy on tyre sales or an extra charge on council tax.