Hundreds of people gathered in Crickhowell over the weekend to raise awareness of pollution in the River Usk.

The Protecting our River March took place on Saturday in a desperate attempt to save the river.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has found that the River Usk had the highest incidence of phosphate pollution in all of the Welsh rivers. Fertiliser run-off from agriculture, human and animal waste and industrial effluent have all been linked as causes of high phosphate levels.

Last weekend’s march was organised by Angela Jones, which saw local residents of all ages come together in protest.

Beginnning at Beaufort Street car park, the march gathered momentum as travelled through town.

Protestors used home-made banners and signs with slogans that highlighted the state of the river and reiterated calls for immediate action.

Organiser Angela said: “There was an absolutely fantastic support and turnout. It’s really warming to see people coming together. There were fisherman, school children and even the mayor of Usk.

“We are not going to accept the deterioration of our rivers - we need change.

“They shouldn’t be treated like a sewer by Welsh Water.”

After making their way through town, the group walked down to the river where they linked arms from either side of the bridge to reflect the current state of the river.

Angela has also had a documentary made about the importance of protecting the rivers, which was shown on a large screen towed on the back of a lorry led through the street.

A petition can be found on angelajonesswimwild.co.uk which Angela is hoping will get 10,000 signatures to be considered for debate in the Senedd.

She said: “Welsh Water and agriculture we will not accept you using our rivers as sewers.

“I’ve been on this for years now and I will never give up because there’s no alternative than to give nature a voice.”