Landslip and torrential rain cause brown discolouration in the River Wye

A combination of torrential rain and a landslip over the weekend has caused parts of the river Wye to turn a light brown colour, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has said.

The landslip happened in the catchment of the River Ithon - a tributary of the River Wye - on Sunday (12 May). Soil and other run off from the landslip has caused the water to change colour and has flowed from the Ithon into the Wye itself.

Jenny Phillips, South Powys Environment Team Leader for Natural Resources Wales said,

"We have had a number of reports from concerned residents along the Wye about the sudden discolouration of the river.

"We have been out investigating the cause of the discolouration, and we are confident that it has been caused by a landslip in the River Ithon catchment and the torrential rain that we had in Powys over the weekend.

"We found that the river is running clear above where the Ithon joins the Wye.

"We expect the discolouration to naturally stop with time, and that the discolouration will only have a minimal and short-term impact on the health of the Ithon or the Wye."

NRW is encouraging people to report any suspected pollution incidents to the 24/7 incident line on 0300 065 3000, or by using the online reporting tool.