The River Wye’s health status has been downgraded by Natural England, as wildlife charities accuse the government of failing to stop farming pollution harming the waterway.

The government nature watchdog has updated the status of the river from “unfavourable-improving” to “unfavourable-declining”, meaning its condition is poor – and worsening.

The assessment shows the river, which flows for 155 miles from mid-Wales to the Severn estuary in England, has experienced declines in key species such as the Atlantic salmon and white-clawed crayfish.

Previous studies have linked its decline – the river has been pictured over the years going from clear and full of wildlife to the colour of pea soup – to intensive chicken farming on the catchment. This is because the poultry reared in the area produce large amounts of manure, which contains nutrients including phosphorus. Much of this is spread on the land, which can result in the phosphorus it contains entering the river.

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