STRONGER protection of Hampshire chalk streams has been secured in the House of Lords.

A Hampshire member of the House has helped to beef up the Environment bill.

Lord Chidgey, former MP for Eastleigh who lives in Alresford, said: "The final version of the Environment Bill has eventually ground its way through the House of Lords over the last two weeks.

“The Parliamentary Bill is some 260 pages long, with eight sections and 21 schedules and 220 pages of explanatory notes. It covers every aspect of the environment and was subject to 300 amendments, all of which were debated in the House of Lords.”

Lord Chidgey confirmed he tabled an amendment calling for Government to have a statutory duty to protect and restore our chalk streams and rivers, with the drive, commitment, and funding needed to reverse wanton damage caused over decades.

He stressed a major cause has been domestic sewage pollution. But a prime culprit is still phosphorous run-off from agriculture into our streams and rivers.

“Only 14 per cent of our rivers in England meet the standards of good ecological status.” said Lord Chidgey.

“International standards have been set out, and agreed, but interventions have failed to drive the changes needed to save many of our freshwater species from the risk of extinction.

He has grown concerned about the damage to once-pristine rivers such as the Itchen and Test through modern farming and development.

Lord Chidgey called on the Government to adopt the recommendations in the multi-agency chalk stream restoration groups report, supported by the Angling Trust, calling for clear, unambiguous protected status.

In his response, Lord Goldsmith, Minister for the Environment, assured Lord Chidgey “that he shared his concerns, and that the Government will take the recommendations extremely seriously and are committed to the overall direction and ambition of the group’s report.”

Lord Chidgey met the chairman of the Upper Itchen Initiative, Graham Roberts, and Stuart Singleton-White, head of campaigns for the Angling Trust, prior to their River Itchen walk with over 20 environmentalists, starting at Itchen Stoke Mill, to view the state of the river.