Just 133 salmon left as sewage flows on.
Sewage discharges into Hampshire’s River Itchen could threaten the future of Atlantic salmon, Winchester MP Danny Chambers has said.
In a letter to Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds, Chambers warned of an “ecological catastrophe” if chalk streams such as the Itchen are not better protected. He said sewage had been flowing into the river “for over 400 hours and counting” at one monitoring site near Headbourne Worthy and cited more than 500 confirmed sewage discharges in the River Meon this year.
The River Itchen is one of six chalk streams in England that support Atlantic salmon. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust said just 133 adult salmon were recorded returning to spawn in 2022, the lowest figure since monitoring began in 1990, and described chalk stream salmon as genetically unique and irreplaceable.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it had taken action to clean up rivers and reform the water industry, including securing record levels of investment and introducing legislation to hold water companies to account.
Southern Water said heavy rainfall, with parts of the Solent receiving 193% of the long-term January average, had put pressure on its sewer network, leading to storm overflow releases to protect properties from flooding. The company said it plans to invest more than £70 million in water quality improvements for the River Test and Itchen.