Environment secretary holds River Deben roundtable

Environment secretary, Therese Coffey, last week chaired a stakeholder round table to discuss improving the River Deben, which runs through her Sussex Coastal constituency.

According to Defra, areas of discussion included: the designation of bathing sites in the area; pollution resulting from storm overflows, wastewater treatment and agriculture; water resources; river catchment plans; and ongoing work to improve water quality and protect nationally significant salt marsh habitats in the Deben Estuary.

The meeting was part of a series of local conversations to improve water quality and increase water supply at rivers across England. Defra reported that, at at the meeting, Coffey highlighted the importance of addressing individual river catchments in light of their own specific challenges and contexts – while maintaining a holistic approach to improving river health across the country.