The Bedford River Festival has opened amid a cloud of criticism following the mayor’s comments about river pollution.
Speaking on an ITV News (Anglia) broadcast last night (Friday), reporter Rebecca Howorth highlighted growing concerns over the water quality of the River Great Ouse.
The two-day event is expected to attract around 300,000 visitors to the town this weekend.
Watch: The River Festival is “a Bedford event,” says the Bedfordian who pulls it all together
When asked about the current cleanliness of the water, Mayor Tom Wootton (Conservative) replied: “I don’t think I’ll be swimming in it.”
“Flippant remarks”
Speaking to the Bedford Independent today (Saturday), Alan Horn, chair of local environmental group BedsGOVET, expressed deep frustration at the comment.
Horn said: “It is, to say the least, disappointing because what I’d like to see is a lot more action from Bedford Borough Council regarding the way in which Anglian Water simply do as they will.”
He added: “They’ve told us that they will be continuing to pump raw sewage into the river until 2030 because the [Priory] plant won’t be up to speed until then.
“And I would have expected a much more positive reaction as opposed to a shrug of the shoulders… when you hear flippant remarks like that, it looks as if it’s not being taken very seriously.”
Read: Bedford’s Priory Sewage Plant upgrade ruled out until 2030
Horn noted that such casual remarks give the impression that civic leaders are not taking the crisis seriously.
Testing by BedsGOVET’s citizen scientists has revealed severe ecological damage underneath the surface, exacerbated by recent hot weather and stagnant conditions.
In their regular Bedford Independent column, BedsGOVET has repeatedly shown that exceptionally high nitrate and phosphate levels are causing immense damage and depleting dissolved oxygen.
Read: Don’t Lose the Ouse – a regular column from BedsGOVET
Of the 20 sites managed monthly by the group, most show E. coli levels that are routinely high, sometimes reaching 10-20 times the safety limits.
However, Horn acknowledged that the local authority has offered some practical assistance to the group.
“At the same time, I have to be fair and say that the Borough Council has allowed us to put an antenna on the roof of the Borough Hall, which is going to allow us to monitor a lot of the work that Anglian Water are doing,” he said.
The monitoring project is running in conjunction with Birmingham University to keep a closer eye on utility providers.
Horn added: “So there is some help that we’re getting from the borough, but I think I would like to see a lot more because I just don’t feel that people recognise that what’s going on is terribly damaging to the river and it’s terribly damaging to the town.”
A turbulent history with the festival
This is not the first time the mayor has faced criticism for his comments about the Bedford River Festival, which many see as a landmark community celebration.
Bedford Independent readers will recall previous uncertainty when we published an exclusive report on plans to replace the Bedford River Festival with a scaled-down annual family festival.
Following widespread public pushback, we later revealed the controversial festival changes had been scrapped to preserve the traditional event.
The decision raised transparency concerns among local groups, and we reported on how the river festival u-turn left unanswered questions despite promises from council leaders.
Festival water events
The environmental warnings come as thousands of community members prepare to take part in traditional water-based festival activities.
The weekend line-up features the Dragon Boat Races, Raft Races and Stand Up Paddleboard Races.
The Water Sports Arena will also host public sessions for canoeing, kayaking, zorbing and water obstacle courses.
Organisers of the event are not encouraging swimming, and water campaigners urge anyone who comes into contact with river water to wash carefully after any contact.
Official health and safety advice
The Environment Agency has urged the public to follow safety advice from the UK Health Security Agency when interacting with open water.
Official guidance states that anyone touching the river should cover all cuts, scratches and open sores with waterproof plasters before entering. People must avoid swallowing river water or splashing it into their mouths.
People are also advised to thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water after any contact with the river and before handling food.
A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “Water along The Embankment has been tested on the Council’s behalf, by an external contractor, on multiple occasions over the last three months at a number of sampling sites.
“This is the same testing as has been carried out before at previous festivals.
“On each occasion the water quality passed bathing standards, with the report from the most recent test received less than a week ago.”
We have contacted the mayor’s office for comment. We are also currently working on several enquiries with Anglian Water for a future article about this and other issues.
Update: This article was updated at 10:38 on 20 July 2026 to add a comment from Bedford Borough Council on water quality testing
