Campaigner seeks protection for 'unwell' river

A campaigner says he wants to see the River Teme given more legal rights because he believes it has become "unwell".

Sam Jones, who lives in Shropshire, says he has seen a decline in aquatic species and an "invasion" by non-native species of both plants and animals.

Inspired by the River Wye, which in May became the first river in the UK to be given cross-border rights covering it from source to sea, he has started a petition which has so far been signed by more than a thousand people.

The Environment Agency said it took its role in cleaning rivers seriously and asked anyone with environmental or pollution concerns to report them.

The Teme was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1996.

In both 2024 and 2025, its water quality classification was "poor".

"Over the years I've seen decline," said Jones. "I've been a swimmer, kayaked in the past, I'm an angler… you notice things around you."

"It's 30 years since it's been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest... we ought to bring the focus back to what we have on our doorsteps.

"As an angler, you see changes to insect hatches, there's less rising trout, there's fewer roach… invertebrate changes, biodiversity changes along the riverbank."

A charter for the River Wye was launched in Hay-on-Wye in May, which Herefordshire Council said gave the river a number of rights "intended to guide the long-term protection and recovery of the river and its catchment".

They are:

• The right to flow and perform natural functions

• The right to biodiversity

• The right to be free from pollution

• The right to be supported by a healthy catchment

• The right to regenerate

• The right to representation

Jones said what had happened with the Wye "set a precedent".

"If you had a friend that's unwell, you'd turn around and advocate for them," he told the BBC.

"Everybody in the catchment should be on board.

"We owe a lot to our rivers, we grew up around them – we formed business, societies around them."

An Environment Agency spokesperson said they understood how much the local community valued the Teme and its tributaries.

"We take our role in cleaning up our rivers seriously and encourage anyone to report any environmental or pollution concerns to us as soon as possible so we can take appropriate action," they added.

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