Work in the city of Bristol has officially started to clean up the river Avon of sewage. The sewage lies at the heart of Bristol and bath beauty spots and is home to boating and waster sports community. A study found that in 2023 the river was rated the third most polluted river in the United Kingdom, which has prompted Bristol city council to assist funding the cleaning of it.
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00:00A local minister has said that work is starting to clean up the River Avon from sewage.
00:06Flowing through Bath and Bristol, the river lies at the heart of a number of local beauty
00:12spots, is used by water sports clubs and swimmers and is home to the area's boating community.
00:18But as of 2023 it was rated the third most polluted river in the country due to the dumping
00:24of sewage.
00:25The sewage works are just a stone's throw away from one of the district's favourite
00:30summer beauty spots, the riverside at the Shallows and the Mead Lane in Salford.
00:36Further downstream there is a popular wild swimming spot as the river flows past Conham
00:41Park and into Bristol, which campaigners want to designate as a bathing water status.
00:49Water Minister Emma Hardy said,
00:51We've absolutely already started working on that now.
00:55As Water Minister, Miss Hardy is also responsible for flooding, asked if the local government's
01:01housing targets, which call for 6,833 to be built each year across the Somerset councils,
01:09could increase the risk of flooding.
01:12Miss Hardy said,
01:21and more importantly, that those homes do not create a flood risk for other areas as
01:26well.
01:27The government added that the Bridgewater tidal barrier is getting £43 million from
01:32the flood funding and will help to protect 11,300 homes and 1,500 businesses in Bridgewater
01:42and the nearby areas from tidal flooding.