MP for North East Herts Oliver Heald will be raising the issue of the condition of rivers in England at Westminster today. He hopes the debate will expand upon his recent Early Day Motion, which has attracted all-Party support with 39 signatures already,

MP for North East Herts Oliver Heald will be raising the issue of the condition of rivers in England at Westminster today.

He hopes the debate will expand upon his recent Early Day Motion, which has attracted all-Party support with 39 signatures already, but also cover the issues English chalk rivers face from over-abstraction, pollution and excess development

"In North East Herts we have seven chalk rivers/streams the Ash, the Beane, the Ivel, the Mimram, the Quin, the Rib and the Upper Rhee. The Mimram has been in difficulties over recent years with long stretches running dry due to high abstraction levels.

"The Beane is normally dry north of Watton-at-Stone. It supplies water to Stevenage. The two rivers have very low levels of flow according to the Environment Agency. Their studies put the Mimram on satisfactorily meeting the flow requirements of the environment only one per cent of the year and the Beane on ten per cent

The rivers of Hertfordshire, including our precious chalk rivers, are a refuge for our country's wildlife and form an important amenity for the people who live in our heavily populated county and with the rivers in my constituency drying out in hot summers I am raising this issue before the House.