AN actor, best known for his role in The Crown, has criticised the government for its record on water quality which he described as "unforgivable". 

James Murray, who lives near Alresford, has come out in support for the Winchester Lib Dems, who are campaigning to clean up rivers.

Mr Murray said: "This government has allowed our unique environment to fall to such a degraded state. Their record is absolutely unforgivable, it's clear they don't care. 

"It seems the only political party actively campaigning to reverse the crisis our rivers and oceans face is the Lib Dems."

Mr Murray recently founded Active Anglers with the Angling Trust. Speaking at the River Summit on the banks of the River Test in June, he said: “I'm lucky enough to have spent many years fishing in this country and the biggest question I get from anglers is about what we can do about the state of our rivers. 

“We need to support each other and share information. Our activism and passion needs to be more focused and informed, otherwise we are just a bunch of angry fisherman yelling into the abyss. 

“The next generation to pick up a rod and get to know rivers will lead to greater awareness of the state of our waterways.”

READ MORE: Letter: Farm on the verge of going under due to Southern Water

Hampshire Chronicle: Danny Chambers

In a recent speech at Lib Dem Conference, Danny Chambers, Winchester MP candidate, said: "I'm very fortunate to live and work in Winchester and the Meon Valley, because we have two rivers going through Winchester and the Meon Valley. We've got the Meon, and we've got the Itchen, which flows right through the heart of Winchester.

"I was shocked, therefore, that the Conservative MPs for Meon Valley and for Winchester voted to allow water companies to continue dumping sewage in our local chalk streams. Southern Water, and Tory MPs who voted to allow this to happen, are guilty of ecological vandalism.

"It probably shouldn't surprise us too much because they also voted to allow fracking - ignoring decades of warning from scientists about our climate emergency. We need to stop electing politicians who completely ignore science.

"The Lib Dems will introduce a sewage tax on water companies profits to fund the cleanup of waterways. We will abolish Ofwat and replace it with a new regulator with significantly strengthened powers to hold the companies accountable for discharging raw sewage.

"We will set stringent targets and deadlines for water companies to end sewage discharges in time to halt the decline of biodiversity by 2030, ensuring that no sewage overflows are discharging in sensitive areas by then."