ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners took to the streets at the weekend dressed up as judges, rats and chickens to highlight the plight of the River Wye.

The protest in Hereford is one of many that have taken place the length and breadth of the stricken river, with its polluted state being put in the spotlight on several national TV shows.

A protest was held in Chepstow last month, with campaigners marching through the streets and leafletting outside the town’s Tesco store.

This time they headed for High Town in Hereford, home to Avara Foods, who protestors claim are contributing to the phosphate pollution in the river by sponsoring large scale chicken farming upriver.

Using street theatre  to highlight the condition of the river, “Lady Wye” put Avara Foods, and US parent company Cargill, “in the dock”. 

There were also protests outside Tesco in Bewell Street and the Avara Foods factory led by a samba-led procession.

Lady Wye said she would bring to “the court of public opinion” her evidence that Cargill have known for years of the potential damage of intensive poultry units near riverbanks.

Spearheaded by Marches Climate Action (MCA), a silent group of “Red Rebels” mourned the “impending loss of the treasured ecosystem”.

The latest protest comes after a US court found Cargill responsible for polluting the River Illinois in the same way as the Wye and ordered them to pay compensation.