The Bedford Independent’s environment partner has warned not to eat fish caught in the River Great Ouse in Bedford, after campaigners revealed “horrendous” pollution levels, including bacteria linked to serious illness.
Speaking at Bedford Borough Council’s Climate Change Committee on Monday, 16 March, Alan Horn from local river campaign group Bedfordshire Great Ouse Valley Environmental Trust (BedsGOVET) said anyone taking fish from the river to eat “has got to be some idiot anyway”.
Read: Monthly columns from Don’t Lose the Ouse
He cited extremely high levels of harmful contaminants as the reason. The warning came as new testing showed E. coli levels at multiple sites far exceeding safe limits.
Mr Horn said: “Great Barford and Felmersham are greater than 10,000 [colony-forming units per 100 millilitres (CFU/100ml) of water], which is probably about 20 times above safety levels.”
A slide shared by Mr Horn stated that the Ofwat safe bathing level is 900 CFU/100 mL.
The committee heard that locations within Bedford town centre, including near the Embankment, also showed significant contamination despite being miles from sewage treatment works.
Fifth-worst river in England
BedsGOVET’s measurements found that the river contains multiple pollutants, including nitrates, phosphates, ammonia, and so-called “forever chemicals” (PFAS), with the Great Ouse ranked fifth-worst river in England for PFAS.
The fishing issue was raised after a councillor reported seeing people fishing in the river who said they were taking their catch home to eat.
Members were told that while thoroughly cooking fish may reduce the risk from bacteria such as E. coli, it might not remove other contaminants.
Mr Horn warned that E. coli pollution, which is linked to sewage, poses a direct risk to human health, particularly for swimmers, rowers and other river users.
And he claimed BedsGOVET had uncovered illegal sewage spills locally and is working with the Environment Agency and the University of Birmingham to identify pollution sources, including unknown discharges within Bedford itself.
Very dirty
The committee raised concerns about people regularly bathing in the river, with one member warning that users risk becoming ill despite being aware of the dangers.
“[The river] is very dirty,” Mr Horn said.
“In Felmersham, with the help of the local council, they put up signs to say it is unsafe to bathe there, and they were all taken down and thrown away, and then people went straight back into the river.
“So you can’t stop people doing it.
“Personally, I think the only thing you can do is to say to people, ‘if you get ill it’s your problem’,” he said.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
The Bedford Independent is proud to support BedsGOVET in their vital work to monitor water quality in the River Great Ouse. We provide them with space for a monthly column as part of their Don’t Lose the Ouse campaign.
