New charter gives River Wye the right to be free from pollution

The River Wye has become the first river in the UK to be given cross-border rights covering it from source to sea.

The charter, which was launched in Hay-on-Wye, recognises how important the river is for people and nature now, and in the future.

It's been endorsed by councils, campaigners and environmental groups from England and Wales.

"The river has a right to perform its natural functions and be free from pollution," said Councillor Elissa Swinglehurst, who signed the charter on behalf of Herefordshire Council.

The Wye is 155 miles long and starts in Wales, runs through Herefordshire and Gloucestershire in England, before crossing the border again.

"We hope what we've done here today will travel out into parish halls, communities, village halls, farms and schools", said Swinglehurst, who helped to create the charter.

"We hope this raises people's awareness that the river has a right to be respected.

"Imagine if the Severn did it, then the Avon, then the Thames. If every river did this, then surely the constitutional change to consider the rights of nature is at least possible."

The charter was launched by hundreds of supporters who walked from the Hay Festival site to the Warren, a public open space alongside the River Wye.

The Wye is one of the UK's most celebrated rivers but it's become more polluted in recent years.

It's protected by conservation law, but the status of the river has been downgraded to "unfavourable - declining" by Natural England.

The new charter has been endorsed by the councils of Herefordshire and Forest of Dean, as well as the Bannau Brycheniog (Brecon Beacons) National Parks Association and the Wye Valley National Landscape.

Powys and Monmouthshire councils were also represented at the ceremony.

Herefordshire Council says the charter gives the River Wye a number of rights "intended to guide the long-term protection and recovery of the river and its catchment."

Ecologist Dr Louise Bodnor was appointed as the 'Voice of the Wye' in April 2025.

She was chosen by Herefordshire Council's Wye Catchment Nutrient Management Board to speak on behalf of the river and vote on its behalf in official meetings.

The role was launched to protect the river from pollution by giving it a legal, ecological voice in management decisions.