A PAIR of runners have completed the entire length of the River Wye to highlight the impact pollution is having on the waterway and its wildlife.

It took just seven days for Joe Emmett and fellow runner Harvey Pawson to complete their course - running the River Wye from the source at Plynlimon, Ceredigion, to the sea at Chepstow.

The run covered 150 miles and was organised to highlight the increase in pollution levels as the Wye gets closer to the sea.

Along the run they encountered herds of deer, plus masses of Himalayan Balsam and 6ft tall nettles.

"To run the whole length of the Wye and to see clearly the decline of the water quality is really bad, Mr Emmett said.

"But, the views were spectacular, especially in the lower Wye, making the run really enjoyable and the blisters not so sore."

On the back of the runners' efforts, John Reed, director of Avara met with Mike Dunsbee and Nick Day of Friends of the Lower Wye last week.

The meeting saw the confirmation that the 108 farms supplied by Avara within the Wye catchment area have agreed to have the manure removed from the catchment area by the end of this year.

At any one time, there are around 16 million chickens in sheds on the farms. That means the manure removed could mount up to a total of around 130,000 tons. 

Through these actions, Friends of the Lower Wye hope nature would be able to bring life back into the river and valley.

Mr Reed did highlight that Avara were not the largest producer in Powys and that other companies should now follow their lead.

Mr Dunsbee and Mr Day said: "This is a step in the right direction and we hope that it will encourage other firms to adopt the same policy to ensure that manure is spread only according to the soil's needs so that crops will continue to flourish.

"Ideally all land beside the river should be farmed in a regenerative fashion, whilst maintaining the 10 metre buffer zone for wildflowers, grasses and trees."