News from Tideswell & District Environment Group

News from Tideswell & District Environment Group

We are very excited about the launch of our new Library of Things this spring. Read the main Library of Things article elsewhere in Village Voice.

Severn Trent Water comes to Tideswell!

Are we finally seeing glimmers of action regarding levels of untreated sewage and pharmaceutical pollution in Tideswell Brook? Our Rivers & Brooks Group has been lobbying Severn Trent Water hard since we found out about these problems in 2024. We met with the local STW team on site before Christmas to hear their plans.

In February, three officers from Severn Trent Water came to talk to an open meeting to share their plans for improvements at the treatment works. They agreed that the current frequency of untreated sewage overflows into Tideswell Brook is unacceptable. Their current target to address this problem is by 2030, when they say they can reduce annual spills to fewer than ten a year. You can read the notes of that meeting here – https://tdeg.org.uk/severn-trent-water-come-to-tideswell/.

But is this good enough? Untreated sewage was released into Tideswell Brook for over 300 hours during the wet weather at the start of the year. What more can we do?

Nisha Aslam, Severn Trent Water, talks to local residents Our local MP, John Whitby, recently raised the question of pharmaceutical pollution in Tideswell Brook in the House of Commons. Following national campaigning on water quality generally, the government published a new White Paper to reform the water industry in early 2026. However, the detail is slim. We need to keep up the pressure on our government to implement changes to legislation and to deal with these problems effectively.

Tideswell Repair Café

The Repair Café continues to provide a much-needed service to the locality. The TDEG Seed Swap and Marches Energy Advice (MEA) can also be found there. MEA aims to help people to stay warm affordably, supporting their wellbeing. They are the District Council’s chosen partner to give advice to residents. Find out more here: https://mea.org.uk and watch out for the Repair Café Facebook posts for their next visit.

Dates for your diary

Repair Café (along with TDEG’s Seed Swap group) – every third Saturday in the month, 21 March, 18 April, 16 May, 10am-1pm (please bring items for repair before 12.30pm). More info here – https://tdeg.org.uk/tideswell-district-repair-cafe/ .

Litter-picking – Join us for a short ramble with friends, collecting litter around our villages as we go! High Vis and collecting gear are provided. Children are welcome if accompanied by responsible adults. We meet at 2pm, Sundays, in the Pot Market (outside the Co-op). Next dates – 29 March, 12 July, and 27 September.

“Think Hedgehog”- TDEG’s next whole group meeting. Morag Boyd (British Hedgehog Preservation Society) will share tips for helping our endangered hedgehogs and other wildlife in our gardens and other green space. Families (and everyone else!) welcome. 4pm-5.30pm, Sunday 17 May, venue to be confirmed.