A petition call for a public commitment to save Pembrokeshire’s River Cleddau which has attracted more than 2,200 signatures, has been backed by councillors.

The e-petition on Pembrokeshire County Council’s own website, started by James Harrison-Allen, said: “We call on Pembrokeshire County Council to create and enact a Clean Rivers Policy to restore the Cleddau to good health after decades of neglect and degradation.

“The Cleddau flows through the heart of Pembrokeshire, including our county town, and is the foundation for Pembrokeshire’s prosperity. The river is failing, and we need to act now to save it from irreversible decline.

“What’s the problem? The Cleddau rivers and estuary are the worst (and worsening) polluted SAC (Special Area of Conservation) designated rivers in Wales; worse even than the Wye and the Usk (NRW Water Assessment Report 2024), and considerably worse than the neighbouring Towy and Teifi.

“Damaging impacts on Pembrokeshire’s economy, public health and the natural environment. Ineffective regulation; monitoring, responding, policing, enforcement and prosecutions. What should PCC be doing to address this? Make a formal, public commitment to cleaning up the Cleddau. Make the health of the Cleddau central.”

The now closed e-petition attracted 2,238 signatures; any petition of more than 500 being heard at full council, with members of the March meeting hearing the call from Mr Harrison-Allen.

Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said he was happy to support “the principal ask to make a public commitment to cleaning up the river,” stressing that while primary responsibility lay with Natural Resources Wales, the council still had an important part to play, adding that measures at improving its quality were already underway.

Moving the petition be referred to the Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cllr Di Clements stressed its “special place” quality.

Members unanimously agreed the petition be referred to the Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee for adding to its forward work programme for the June meeting.

Last year, Henry Tufnell, MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, called for “urgent” action to tackle the poor state of the River Cleddau when he chaired a discussion bringing together key stakeholders, environmental experts, and community voices to address the issues surrounding water quality and pollution.

The panel event, organised by local river action group The Cleddau Project, covered topics including pollution sources, enforcement failures, and potential solutions to improve the river’s health.