Severn Trent appoints expert river panel

Severn Trent has formed an expert panel to oversee the progress of its Get River Positive package – five commitments, launched in March 2022, to transform river health across its region.

The panel comprises:

Dr Julia Casperd - lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Zoology & Environmental Land Management, Harper Adams University and chair of the Harper Adams University Environmental Sustainability Land and Soil Farm Group. Matt Easter – chief executive, Trent Rivers Trust. Sarah Faulkner - regional policy manager, National Farmers Union. Ashley Jones – water safety & drowning prevention manager, Swim England. Joe Pimblett – chief executive, Severn Rivers Trust. Paul Wilkinson – chief executive, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

As part of its Get River Positive commitments, Severn Trent has committed that its operations will not be the reason for any stretch of river in the region being classified as unhealthy by 2030.

• The BBC last week reported that a number of campaigners from the Up Sewage Creek group are refusing to pay part of their water bills in protest at the amount of sewage being discharged into the River Severn.