Campaigners concerned about the state of the Wey, Blackwater and Hart have marched through the capital to send a message to the government and water companies.

Around 15,000 people took to the streets of London on November 3 to join the March for Clean Water amid rising anger about the state of the nation’s waterways.

Well-known environmentalists like Chris Packham, Feargal Sharkey and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall marched alongside 130 groups with the demand: Stop Poisoning Our Waters.

There was plenty of local presence with the likes of environmental artist Angela Shaw and figures from the Farnham Biodiversity Partnership, Zero Carbon Guildford and Extinction Rebellion (XR) Waverley & Borders making a stand on the banks of the Thames.

They are speaking up for our local rivers and highlighting their appalling contamination from sewage discharges while calling on the Labour government to hold on its promises to clean up our waters.

“There were quite a few of us on the walk,” said Angela, adding that local protestors carried a white banner with a clear and cutting message to Thames Water.

“I still think that not enough people are aware of how polluted our local rivers realty are.

“There was a horrible incident at the Wey a few months in Tilford where people who had been in the water were sick, and levels of e-coli are 17 times above the satisfactory level.

“Our rivers are too often used as open sewers and it’s got to stop.”

Waters from the Wey, Whitewater, Hart and others from our region were mingled with rivers from across the country, including Devon, Cornwall and Wales in a combined vessel on stage in Parliament Square during the event.

Some 2,500 leaflets were also distributed during the march, in a hope to bring voices together in support of our rivers and seas.