Biggleswade's River Ivel facing 'avalanche of pollution' - including faecal bacteria - according to damning new report

Biggleswade's River Ivel has been slammed in a damning new report which reveals that it is facing an "avalanche" of pollution.

The research published by non-profit organisation, Planet Patrol, revealed that the River Ivel failed to meet acceptable levels of nitrate, phosphate, total coliform, and pH levels - showing that "nature is in crisis".

High levels of nitrites are toxic to almost all plants and creatures, while excessive phosphorus in surface water can cause an "explosive growth of aquatic plants and algae", killing fish and harming other aquatic life. Adding to the river's problems are coliforms – a group of faecal bacteria, while deviating from a neutral pH range can cause "abnormal effects" on the environment.

A Planet Patrol spokesman said: "The causes of these pollutants are many and go beyond sewage contamination. From growing urban development to farming practices, increased diversity of chemicals and pharmaceuticals used by society, and pollution pressure from transport, addressing the UK’s invisible water quality crisis needs a whole systems approach.

"The report highlights the devastating outlook of the state of UK waterways and urgently warns the government and polluting industries to take transformative action."

Planet Patrol examined 48 freshwater environments across England and Scotland. From May to July, it recruited 57 volunteers to gather data from their allocated testing site every other week for 12 weeks. All sites but one (the River Dart, Devon) failed to meet acceptable criteria for at least one of five pollutants. The River Ivel was "amongst the worst for water quality", and is one of the 52 per cent of sites that failed on three or more parameters.

A spokesman added: "The launch of this report follows the latest data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which shows that no progress has been made on a key water pollution pledge made four years ago to ensure that 75 per cent of rivers and other bodies of water achieve a 'good' ecological status by 2027.

"The figure remained at 16 per cent in 2021, unchanged since 2017. Planet Patrol has launched a petition calling on the Rt Hon Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Thérèse Coffey, to reject plans to weaken the legislation."