WHAT a sad state of affairs that what used to be one of the finest salmon rivers in England, once fished by royalty and famous people such as Frankie Vaughan, is now polluted by phosphates.

One only has to look at the number of salmon caught on the Wye (catch and release) over the past five years compared to say 20 years ago to realise how the Wye has declined as a salmon river.

You only have to walk the river to see the amount of plastic bottles etc caught up in hedges brought down by the winter floods.

We can only hope that the Environment Agency and environmental charities such as the Wye and Usk Foundation as well as the River Wye Ghillies Association can work together to get the Wye as it once was a pollution-free salmon river.

Charles B Davies
Fownhope