Cornwall summit brings key organisations together to tackle river and sea pollution
Residents across Cornwall have heard how major organisations are working to tackle pollution and improve water quality in the county’s rivers and seas, at a special summit held in Truro.
The Healthy Rivers and Seas Summit took place at Lys Kernow in Truro on Friday 27 February, running from 10am to 11.30am and broadcast live online.
Viewers were able to follow the discussion and put questions to the panel via Facebook, X and YouTube.
The event follows Cornwall Council’s motion “Working to End the Sewage Scandal”, passed in September 2025, which called for urgent action to address sewage pollution affecting rivers and beaches.
The motion commits the council to working with South West Water and other key partners – including through a summit – to tackle repeated pollution incidents.
As well as sewage discharges, panellists discussed wider pressures on water quality, such as land management, development, agriculture and coastal impacts, and how different agencies can work together more effectively.
Senior voices around the table
The summit was opened by Cllr Leigh Frost, leader of Cornwall Council, and hosted by BBC Radio Cornwall presenter Julie Skentelbery.
The panel brought together senior figures from across the water, environmental and land management sectors:
- Cllr Loic Rich, cabinet member for environment and cabinet change, Cornwall Council
- Carolyn Cadman, chief sustainability and natural resources officer, South West Water
- Mark Rice, area director for Devon and Cornwall, Environment Agency
- Ashley Jones, county chair, NFU Cornwall
- Victoria Vyvyan, deputy president, Country Land and Business Association (CLA)
- Dr Claire Eatock, chair, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Marine and Coastal Partnership
- Giles Bristow, chief executive, Surfers Against Sewage (SAS)
- Laurence Couldrick, chief executive, Westcountry Rivers Trust
- Matt Walpole, chief executive, Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Together they set out the scale of the challenge and the actions being taken – from improving infrastructure and monitoring to changing land use practices and supporting community projects.
‘Collective action and personal responsibility’
Speaking at the summit, Cllr Leigh Frost said the event showed how Cornwall Council can play a stronger role in bringing people together to find solutions:
“The health of our ocean and rivers is a complex issue that requires collective action and personal responsibility. Cornwall Council can have a far bigger impact – beyond the reactive legal powers we have – acting as a convener, bringing together all the agencies and organisations involved in understanding the problems and identifying and putting solutions into action. We can also ensure residents’ concerns are heard.
I want to thank all our panellists for agreeing to take part in this summit.”
Key priority for nature, people and the economy
Cllr Loic Rich, cabinet member for environment and cabinet change, stressed that healthy rivers and seas are central to Cornwall’s future:
“Healthy rivers and seas are vital to everyone living in Cornwall and crucial for nature, our environment and our economy."
"This summit set out the council’s role and that of other organisations in delivering one of our key priorities – and I hope residents who joined online feel better informed about the action being taken and the challenges we still face.”
What happens next?
Feedback and questions from residents submitted during the live broadcast will be used to help shape the council’s ongoing work with partners, including:
- Continuing to push for reduced sewage discharges and faster improvements from water companies
- Working with regulators, farmers and landowners on better land management to reduce run-off and pollution
- Supporting community groups and charities involved in river, beach and marine conservation
- Improving transparency and public engagement around water quality data and pollution incidents
Further updates on outcomes from the Healthy Rivers and Seas Summit and next steps will be published on Cornwall Council’s channels in the coming weeks.