Campaigners, local politicians and the public are to stage a protest demanding Thames Water stop polluting water in Oxford.

A protest is due to be held on Port Meadow near Wolvercote Mill Stream on Sunday, June 16 at noon.

Speakers will include Ashley Smith from WASP (Windrush against Sewage Pollution), Kit Yates who is best known for his contributions to BBC R4’s More or Less and politicians from various parties.

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Protesters will be encouraged to join in river songs and poems.

Last month, The Oxford Clean Rivers Initiative which includes Earthwatch Europe, Friends of the Earth Oxford, River Action, Friends of Longbridges and others held the Clean Rivers Festival at Long Bridges Nature Park during Oxford University Eights Week rowing races.

Once an open-air river bathing place on a backwater of the River Thames, Longbridges off Iffley Meadows is now a nature reserve, where two small backwaters join together. 

Despite Wolvercote being awarded Bathing Water Status in 2022, the water quality is still rated ‘poor’.

Claire Robertson, Oxford Rivers Project Officer, said: “For the last two seasons (2022 and 2023) the overall classification at Wolvercote Mill Stream has been poor. ‘Poor’ means there were more than 900 E coli colonies and more than 330 enterococci colonies per 100ml... in 10 per cent of samples.

"In the last two seasons, 75 per cent - 90 per cent of the samples have been below these thresholds, but just one or two pushes it from ‘sufficient’ to ‘poor’.”

Jo Sandelson, city councillor for Wolvercote, added: "We’ll keep shouting out for something to be done until there is a real plan that doesn’t involve a 44 per cent bill increase for householders.

"Holding individuals from the privatised water companies at the highest levels legally responsible would be a good start."