The Otter Valley Association (OVA) has an excellent team of water quality testers.
Citizen scientists from Otter River Catchment Action have established that downstream of the Honiton sewage treatment works, the E. coli levels are high.
We already knew about the high phosphate levels present in the River Otter.
These new revelations about high E. coli levels in the middle and lower sections of the river are concerning.
These parts of the river have already been classified as “poor” by the Environment Agency for water quality.
South West Water discharged untreated sewage into the River Otter for over 8,000 hours in 2025.
The E. coli testers will be sampling three locations, every two weeks, for the next year.
This is in addition to the phosphate sampling of the river, which has also taken place every two weeks for the past 16 months.
On Thursday, June 18, I held an adjournment debate in Parliament about the sewage pollution in the River Otter.
My pitch was responded to by the environment minister, Mary Creagh.
I told the minister that the river, which is among the 20 per cent of those with the poorest ecological status in the country, is effectively being used by South West Water as an extension of its sewage network.
My office has written to South West Water to arrange a meeting with the new chief executive.
I am looking forward to the opportunity to ask what plans the company has to improve the water quality of the Otter.
The OVA’s testing indicates that around 70 per cent of the phosphate found in the middle and lower Otter can be attributed to treated sewage effluent.
The minister confirmed that performance at Honiton sewage treatment works has fallen short and that this is "not acceptable."
Absolutely.
I was pleased to hear Mary Creagh say that the Environment Agency is expanding monitoring of the river.
She welcomed the support of local groups, such as the Otter Valley Association.
River water quality will improve under the Clean Water Bill, Mary Creagh claimed.
Whoever the next environment minister turns out to be, we’ll hold them to that.
The government accepted that South West Water must be held to account until it delivers improvements.
I will continue to liaise with the Environment Agency and will apply pressure to South West Water to clean up the Otter.
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