Dear Friends
Welcome to the April 2026 Friends of the River Axe (FORA) newsletter. There’s been a lot going on so let’s get straight down to business.
Fact No 1: A seven mile stretch of the River Axe is a Special Area of Conservation and a SSSI. And yet despite this high standard of environmental protection the river has been assessed by Natural England as in unfavourable condition and declining. It’s bad and it’s getting worse.
East Devon District Council (EDDC) Loves Rivers … and passed a Council Motion in February "to Recognise and Protect the Rights of Rivers in East Devon". FORA supports the good intent, but has asked how the Motion will actually make things better for Axe rivers. Our view is that EDDC needs to toughen up its approach to planning and new housing development to protect the Axe Rivers.
The East Devon River groups (representing the Lim, the Axe, the Sid, the Clyst, the Otter and the Exe) are meeting later this month to produce a list of ‘asks’ of EDDC – things we believe that the Council must do to make the Rights of Rivers more than a platitude.
More info here: https://news.eastdevon.gov.uk/councillors-pledge-to-recognise-and-protect-the-rights-of-rivers-in-east-devon
Axe Rivers Festival … A week of river-y events is taking place in late April. Organised by the Rivers Run Through Us team, the programme is a diversity of walks, talks, art and festival. We highly recommend joining the geomorphology walk on April 23rd at Luggs Farm to find out more about the river restoration work on the Yarty.
https://www.tripleaxe.org.uk/event/shaping-the-flow-a-geomorphology-walk
Up S**t Creek Without a Paddle … We’re delighted to have formed a friendship with the Axe Vale Canoe Club who care about water quality as much as we do – possibly more as they have to practice capsizing! Watch this space for a joint collaboration to set up e-coli bacterial monitoring in the estuary.
If you’re out and about on the Axe rivers - and you see or smell something you don’t like -take photos, grab the what3words location, and let us know.
Axe Vale Riverfly … Talking of great friendships, the Axe Vale Riverfly team - which monitors freshwater invertebrates under the National Riverfly Partnership programme - is doing fantastic work keeping an eye on all those wriggly things that live on the riverbed.
April saw ten new volunteers undergoing Riverfly training down on the Kit Brook, and who can now take their place carrying out monthly surveys as part of the Axe Vale Riverfly team. Well done to you all for getting your certificates.
Fact No 2: In 2024 the Tatworth treatment works – a mile upstream from the start of the Special Area of Conservation – was the 14th worst spiller of untreated sewage out of over 1500 treatment works in the South West Water empire. The 2025 results are just in, and it’s looking like 2025 was even worse than 2024.
In the last four months we have reported river pollution on three occasions to the Environment Agency downstream from where the Tatworth treatment works discharges into the Forton Brook.
If you want to keep an eye on things going on in your river this is a good website to track untreated sewage spills in live time.
https://www.streamwaterdata.co.uk/pages/the-national-storm-overflow-hub
Project Beaver … is ramping up work to support farmers and landowners to prepare for the arrival of beavers. The Project is focusing on land managers in the key areas where we first expect beavers to arrive.
Earlier in April FORA hosted a workshop Woodland Creation and Management in the Presence of Beavers. Targeted specifically for farmers, land owners and those who work in land and tree management – and run for FORA by the Forestry Commission – feedback from those who attended has been fantastic. We hope to provide a repeat workshop in the Autumn.
Project Beaver is putting together a small team of volunteers to help farmers and landowners prepare for the arrival of beavers in the Axe Catchment. Based on the model developed by Devon Wildlife Trust on the River Otter, volunteers will be provided with full training and will work as part of a close-knit team visiting farms.
Fact No 3: Evidence of active beavers in the Otterhead area is within half a mile of the Yarty headwaters.
Water Quality Monitoring … Over the last few months FORA volunteers have been piloting the new National Rivers Survey developed by The Rivers Trust. There are now volunteers monitoring many of the Axe Rivers with a team getting underway over the Winter on the Drimpton Stream (or Little Axe as she is known to her locals), and a new group starting up on the Lower Coly.
We monitor for phosphate, conductivity, undissolved solids, temperature, ammonia and nitrate as well as recording a host of observations ranging from wildlife to river flow and bankside vegetation.
We always welcome new volunteers, and full training is given.
Sewage Pollution Elimination in the Axe Rivers … SPEAR Is our campaign focused on sewage. The campaign will evolve in 3 overlapping phases:
Phase 1. Gather evidence of sewage pollution and quantify its impact.
Phase 2. Assuming that human sewage is having an impact on the rivers, that SWW is not taking remedial action, and that the EA is not compelling SWW to act, FORA will publicise its evidence to generate public outrage and engage elected representatives to take up the cause.
Phase 3. Use the weight of public pressure to accelerate remedial actions and continue monitoring to ensure that SWW meets its interim milestones.
Initially we are focusing on 4 large sites with high spill rates upstream from the Special Area of Conservation and Axmouth/Seaton where there is a concentration of water users, a protected Marine Conservation Zone, designated bathing waters, and businesses with an interest in protecting revenue from tourism.
Farway Marsh Farmers Day … Farway Marsh is an historic area of wetland north of Chardstock. It was drained in Victorian times but the Kit Brook River Restoration (which is part of FORA) has been working with the landowner to re-wet the marsh, slow the flow and hold water on the land.
On April 16, we are hosting local farmers on a visit to Farway Marsh to see the natural flood management work. If you’d like to come along, please contact us.
Always looking for help … we have a request. We’re looking for a volunteer to take the lead on FORA’s communications and publicity. If you are a creative and inspiring comms person looking for a new challenge please get in touch.
And finally … thank you so much for the support you give to Friends of the River Axe. If you want to get in touch about any of the articles here or about anything else, please contact us at friendsoftheriveraxe@gmail.com or Vicky on 07818 402624.
Kind regards
Vicky Whitworth
Co-chair