A legal claim against Welsh Water and the UK’s largest chicken producer will be in the High Court next Monday, as more than 4,500 people have made a joint legal claim attempting to stem river pollution in the Wye, Lugg and Usk rivers.
The claimants have said that run-off from chicken farms and sewage spills from Welsh water has caused high concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen in these rivers and their catchments.
This has led to substantial growth of algae, turning the river green, suffocating fish and killing wildlife.
All three rivers are protected for their importance to rare wildlife, including otters, freshwater pearl mussels and the Atlantic salmon.
The claimants are all local business owners, residents or people who use the rivers Wye, Usk and Lugg recreationally. Their legal claim demands that action be taken to improve the state of the rivers, and compensation be paid to those whose lives and businesses have been affected.
Avara, which dominates chicken farming in the area, and Welsh Water, have respectively called the claims ‘misconceived’ and ‘misguided’.
Welsh water said it had invested £76m on reducing nutrient levels on the Wye, Lugg and Usk between 2020 and 2025 and would invest £87m more from 2025 to 2030.
