A WATER quality pressure group has installed a probe to monitor the River Test at Houghton.

The Pan Parish River Pollution Forum was formed earlier this year, following widespread concerns about sewage and other pollution and contamination of the r.

The group had 13 people at its latest meeting at Houghton Village Hall on Tuesday, June 26, where they discussed recent meetings with Southern Water. 

The parish councils in the PPRP Forum include: Barton Stacey, Chilbolton, Houghton, Goodworth Clatford, King’s Somborne, Lockerley, Longstock, North Baddesley, Nursling and Rownhams, Romsey Town Council, Shipton Bellinger, Stockbridge, and Wherwell.

Pan Parish River Pollution Forum (Image: Newsquest)

Forum chairman Lynda Middleton said: “The water probe in Houghton is our biggest success to date. It was installed on May 23. We had a water company come and install it for us and show us how it ran. That is now up and running in the River Test. We called the probe Steve because the guy who installed it was called Steve, and he was a lovely guy and made it very simple.”

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Seth Crosswaite, a river keeper at Houghton, said: “They said it was one of the best sites they have ever installed at because of its position in the river. It's where the river Test splits into two or three parts. It's right in the flow of the river, you couldn't have a better place to put it. 

“We hope this is a flagship, Houghton Parish Council bought it themselves. We hope other parishes will be able to raise the funds to do the same. I don't know a river keeper who would object to having one of these probes because it's all for the river.”

Seth Crosswaite and Geoff Cooper (Image: Newsquest)

He added: “Luckily we haven't had any incidents of note to report. Ammonia is running a little bit higher than I would have liked. Everything else is running within parameters. We're still in the early stages, but we want the information to be public, for everyone to see. People will be able to see the data in real time.”

The meeting was attended by Liberal Democrat General Election candidate Geoff Cooper. He said: “There is already a network of testing machines that Southern Water operates themselves. One of the things I have been trying to do is to plug gaps where they don't have them.”

Feedback was also given about meetings between Test Valley Borough Council's oversight and scrutiny committee and Romsey Town Council with Southern Water. 

For more details about the forum, visit hugofox.com/community/pan-parish-river-pollution-forum-20614/home/.