Extinction Rebellion King’s Lynn activists held litter pick along Gaywood River

Extinction Rebellion King’s Lynn activists took part in a litter pick along the Gaywood River on Sunday to raise awareness of the poor health of the chalk stream.

The 12 litter pickers worked along the Lynnsport area and filled 22 bin bags.

Members also handed out leaflets and spoke to passers-by about the issues facing the river.

They had previously collected more than 1,000 signatures in a petition to the Environment Agency’s director Sir James Bevan.

A spokesman said: “Although we organised a litter pick along the river, litter isn’t the main issue affecting the health of this chalk stream.

“The Gaywood River faces many issues but we are raising awareness of the pollution that has caused downstream of the river to suffer.

“The river is a tale of two chalk streams. Upstream is in better health, it has crystal clear water and flourishing plant life. Downstream is another matter; the water is murky, plants are dying off and there is algae overgrowth.”

Extinction Rebellion member Robert Shippey, 30, said: “We’re so lucky to have a rare chalk stream like this, the litter is a shame but the pollution has caused much more damage to the river.

“The people I spoke to today really value the Gaywood River. I want to see the authorities and government, nationally and locally, start to properly protect rivers like this one.”

Testing by a local enthusiast last year revealed that the phosphate levels downstream of Bawsey have been around four times higher than the source – phosphates increase in rivers due to sewage dumping or runoff from farms.

Extinction Rebellion are encouraging people to report any pollution in the river they see to the Environment Agency on their free 24-hour incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60.

The spokesman added: “What is happening to the Gaywood River is an example of the wider destruction being done to natural systems.

“We’ve all seen the recent reporting around sewage dumping into our rivers and sea. The nature around us is used by companies as a free resource and an endless dumping ground, with the government allowing it to happen.

“Restoring rivers like the Gaywood River to their natural and healthy state is an important step to helping us tackle the effects of climate change.”