THE decision from Monmouthshire County Council to stop short of calling for a Water Protection Zone (WPZ) covering the River Wye has been branded "a great disappointment" by a campaigner.

The council agreed that the level of phosphates in the river were of concern, but did not join their counterparts in Herefordshire in calling for government action.

Herefordshire council leader David Hitchiner has urged the UK government to bring in measures such as a WPZ to protect the Wye from further pollution.

Angela Jones, an environmentalist, outdoor adventure and wild swim specialist, has been campaigning for water quality in Wesh rivers to be improved for some time.

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She said: "Nothing seems to be changing to help the river.

"Manure is just being shuffled around within the catchment and very little is taken away to nutrient-deficient areas.

"Wherever it's put within the catchment, the nutrients are going to end up in the river.

"Meanwhile there's ploughing much too close to the riverbank by some farmers - or else why would the river look like coffee after it rains?"

Ms Jones said that she was "really pleased" that Herefordshire are calling for a WPZ.

"I think the whole catchment needs this," she said.

"It'll be one step beyond the NVZ (Nitrate Vulnerable Zone) that the Welsh Government have had so much push-back against, because presumably a WPZ will include phosphates as well as nitrates.

"Even if it takes years to fully implement a WPZ, at least as people start preparing to meet the new standards.

"Hopefully, they'll be moving away from the old damaging ways."

Ms Jones said the "cheap" approaches to intensive mass-production of food that we've got at the moment are costing us the earth".

"People worry about costs, but we can't afford not to do something," she said.