Troubled Waters
Like so many of our waterways, the River Wye is being suffocated by pollution. Matt Baker and Anita Rani meet the volunteers trying to save this spectacular river.
The Wye is one of the most spectacular rivers in Britain, winding through stunning countryside, the muse of writers and artists, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest and conservation. With that sort of reputation, you鈥檇 expect the river to have a pristine bill of a health. But like so many of our waterways, the Wye鈥檚 waters are in trouble. Suffocated by pollution, it is slowly dying. But all is not lost. Matt Baker and Anita Rani meet the volunteers going to the rescue of the Wye, from the cider maker turned citizen science champion, whose findings may have forced the farming industry to own up to its role in putting the river into its death throes, to the volunteers creating a 30-acre wetland to harbour some of our most cherished wildlife.
Adam Henson meets the farmer trying to do his bit to save the river, while Tom Heap investigates why the Wye has been allowed to decline almost to the point of being declared ecologically dead. Meanwhile, Adrian Chiles is in north Wales, discovering what it takes to be a hill farmer.