River Stour Trust delighted by Sudbury Friars Meadow status

The stretch of the River Stour along Friars Meadow was granted the status by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on Monday, meaning the river will immediately benefit from regular water quality monitoring.

The River Stour Trust, which led the Clean Water Initiative, supported by Sudbury Town Council, said it is "delighted" at the news and thanked project coordinator John Kemp for his efforts.

The stretch of the River Stour along Friars Meadow has been designated bathing water status (Image: River Stour Trust)

Mr Kemp said: “This is terrific news. Absolutely fantastic. A lot of people worked hard to achieve this designation and I could not be more pleased for them.

"It’s not only good news for swimmers, but for everyone who uses the river, as rowers, canoeists, kayakers, paddle boarders, anglers and passengers in River Stour Trust launches.

"It’s great news for the environment as well, benefiting everything that lives and grows in the river."

He explained that the Environment Agency will now be required to test the water every week during the bathing season, which runs from mid-May to the end of September.

He said these results will then be published so people can see whether it is safe to swim and, if pollution is detected, they will seek its source and stop it. 

River Stour at Friars Meadow in Sudbury (Image: River Stour Trust)

Mr Kemp added: "In its recently published five-year plan, Anglian Water had already promised, provided we obtained bathing water designation, to upgrade the Sudbury sewage treatment works to make it safer for swimmers. So, we look forward to an early start on that.

"I’m sorry the designation only extends the length of Friars Meadow. We had hoped it would extend as far as Cornard Lock, but this is a great start."

The River Stour at Sudbury regularly attracts those using canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, rowing skiffs and powered boats.