North West Hampshire MP Kit Malthouse calls upon Government to protect chalk stream rivers such as the River Kennet, River Lambourn and River Test

A local MP has called upon the Government to create policy that provides specific protections for chalk streams, a rare type of river that is mostly found in southern England.

North West Hampshire MP Kit Malthouse spoke in the House of Commons last month requesting the Labour Government to continue on the work the previous Conservative Government was doing to protect chalk streams.

The Tory backbencher said that a chalk stream recovery pack was ready to be announced before last year’s General Election, but has since been shelved following Labour’s ascent to power.

Mr Malthouse said: “My request in the House was to say this is very disappointing that this has been abandoned, but what can we expect?

“The key thing is that they recognise the special status and nature of these rivers.

“They are globally important and they should be treated that way in policy.

“We managed to establish that with the previous Government but it feels like we are yet to establish that with this Government.”

Chalk streams are rivers that rise from springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock and local examples include the River Kennet and Lambourn as well as the River Test and its tributaries.

According to a 2014 article in the Guardian, 160 of the 210 rivers classified as chalk streams globally can be found in England.

The protection of these rare ecological habitats has been a priority for Mr Malthouse for some time.

He said: “North West Hants is home to the origin of the most famous of the chalk streams the River Test, but also others.

“It has been a priority area of work for me over pretty much the last 10 years. I have always pressed government ministers, both when I was in government and outside, to prioritise the health of our chalk streams.

“In particular the impact of flooding and sewage overflow at the time of flooding.”

Mr Malthouse referenced events in 2014 when the River Test broke its banks and caused serious damage to homes and businesses, particularly in Romsey, which also had a negative effect on the river itself.

He continued: “In the years since then there has been a fair bit of work done to make sure that the rivers could not be impacted, although that work is still ongoing.

“To be fair, Southern Water and the Environmental Agency are in the middle of a project in and around Saint Mary Bourne to do exactly that which will hopefully solve a lot of the remaining problems.

“I have been having regular meetings with the parish council and local residents to talk about that stuff and to keep the pressure on Southern Water.”

“Having said all that, there is still a fair bit of work to do, not just on our stretch but on these rivers more generally.

“A number of us [MPs] have been pressing the Government for a specific programme to look at chalk streams.

“These types of streams and rivers require a very rare geological formation and there aren’t very many of them in the world.

“I think there are only about 200 in the world, and 80 per cent of them are in the UK and in the South, and we said that needed to be recognised.”

Mr Malthouse said “it was hard to know at this stage” if the Government would answer his and other MPs’ calls to launch some kind of chalk stream protection project.

He said if he didn’t get any statement on the matter from ministers soon, he would use his powers to get the topic debated in the House of Commons.