Campaigners out to protect and preserve the River Frome have seen reports of three different youngsters falling ill after swimming in the river this August.

Friends of the River Frome have now set up a small task force of volunteers to investigate the scale and frequency of sewer overflows in the town.

A spokesperson told Nub News: " So we are pleased to about the new joint water industry/government task force on this matter. But much more than talking is needed.

"We expect to see a bigger and better investment plan to deal with Frome's antiquated drainage system. Our priorities for Wessex Water are the combined sewer overflows in the town centre, between Lower Keyford and Adderwell and at Rodden Meadow. Our river is chronically polluted. Upgrading our decrepit and overloaded drainage system needs to be a top priority. After all, we are living in the 21st century, aren't we?"

On Twitter, it has been alleged that last year Wessex Water spent a total 3292 hours on 274 separate occasions, dumping sewer from nine storm overflow points into the 11 miles of the Mells Stream before joining the River Frome.

Meantime the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust are working with Johnny Palmer (Warleigh Weir) to develop a citizen science monitoring scheme across nearby rivers to check for levels of human sewage and livestock waste in the water.

Earlier this week Environment Minister Rebecca Pow challenged water companies to improve their environmental performance.

The chief executives of fifteen water companies met with the minister (8 September) as she called on them to take further action to protect the environment, improve leakage levels and safeguard our water supplies. Representatives from Ofwat, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Water UK, The Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) also attended the meeting.

While water companies coped well under increased pressure during lockdown, Minister Pow made clear stronger action was needed to deliver on environmental priorities around the use of storm overflows, chalk streams and leakage.

A new taskforce has been set up for Defra, the EA, Ofwat and Water UK to set out proposals to reduce the frequency and volumes of sewage discharges from storm overflows. The Environment Bill will also allow the government to set legally binding wastewater targets.

The Minister also urged water companies to raise their ambitions around improving chalk stream catchments and asked them to join her at a Chalk Stream summit she will host on 16 October.

The government's expectation for leakage rates to be halved by 2050 was also reiterated. A new national framework was published in March 2020 by the Environment Agency setting out the scale of action needed to safeguard our water supplies for the future, requiring collective action from government, water companies, businesses and the general public.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: "Water companies need to take their environmental obligations seriously and this impetus must come from the top.

"Despite investment from the industry, the damage inflicted on our environment – our rivers, lakes, streams and the wildlife that rely on them – is still far too great.

"This country's green recovery from coronavirus can only happen if water companies step up and play their part.

Harvey Bradshaw, Executive Director of Environment and Business at the Environment Agency, said: "Our water environment is precious and under huge and increasing pressure from a growing population and the climate emergency.

"Our environmental targets are ambitious and we are challenging water companies to go faster and further on environment, leakage and protecting supplies. Water companies have a key role to safeguard our water environment and we will regulate them as a modern regulator should; rewarding excellence and sanctioning behaviour that harms the environment. In this way we will be working with them to drive up standards including through our new Taskforce on storm overflows."

The meeting followed the joint letter sent to water companies in July, encouraging them to accelerate investment as part of the country's green economic recovery from coronavirus.