SHROPSHIRE Council has pledged to hold water companies to account over river pollution in a bid to clean up the county’s waterways.

Councillors say the frequent discharge of sewage into rivers is making them unsafe for people who use them, impacting fish populations and threatening whole ecosystems.

The authority has promised to put pressure on Severn Trent and Welsh Water to invest in drainage improvements and provide timescales for mitigating the effect of sewage and other pollutants being released into rivers.

A dedicated group will also be set up to address the issue with both water companies, with input from the Environment Agency.

The issue was raised at full council by Labour councillor Kate Halliday, on the same day a report from the Environmental Audit Committee, chaired by Ludlow MP Philip Dunne, warned a “chemical cocktail” of pollution in UK rivers was putting public health at risk.

Councillor Halliday said the main problem was the heavy reliance on combined sewage overflows in old drainage infrastructure. These mix rainwater and domestic waste, release directly into rivers when they become overwhelmed during heavy rainfall.