KING Charles has been asked to sack his representative in Somerset, Lord Lieutenant Mohammed Sadiq.

The call was made by MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, who has taken the unprecedented step of writing direct to the King about pollution in Somerset’s rivers.

Mr Liddell-Grainger, who currently represents West Somerset and who will be standing for the Conservatives in the new Tiverton and Minehead constituency taking in much of the area around Wellington and Mid Devon, blamed Wessex Water for ‘indiscriminate pollution’ by releasing thousands of gallons of sewage into the county’s waterways.

And he named the county’s Lord Lieutenant as a ‘primary culprit’ in allowing the pollution to happen.

Mr Sadiq served as executive director of operations for Wessex Water until he resigned last year, after his appointment as Lord Lieutenant

Mr Sadiq stood down following a series of Parliamentary questions and a public outcry over river pollution.

Now, Mr Liddell-Grainger has asked the King to urgently reconsider the appointment of Mr Sadiq, who is the first Muslim to become a Lord Lieutenant.

In his letter to King Charles, Mr Liddell-Grainger said there was ‘a growing environmental crisis in Somerset caused by indiscriminate dumping of dangerous phosphates into the county's rivers’.

He said: “Much of the blame for this appalling pollution lies with one of the water companies, Wessex Water.

“A high level of professional responsibility must be borne by that company’s former executive director of operations, Mohammed Sadiq, who, I am sorry to tell you, was recently selected to serve as Your Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant in this county.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger told the King that Mr Sadiq had only resigned from his company post after considerable public pressure and a series of critical questions in the House of Commons.

He said: “I note with incredulity that he has retained a recent bonus of £165,000 from Wessex Water, a large proportion of which was awarded for ‘environmental performance’.

“Your reputation as a committed environmentalist is second to none.

“We recall the impact of your visit to the flooded areas of the Somerset Levels in 2014.

“The then-Prime Minister told me that it was your determined persuasion which helped to unlock tens of thousands of pounds for the clean-up operation that followed.

“Protecting our precious environment is a cause that rightly deserves Royal leadership.

“But the appointment of a serial polluter to act in the name of the Crown will be seen as an unfortunate error that could, should, and can still be corrected.”

Mr Sadiq said: “River pollution is an extremely complex subject.

“However, as I no longer work for Wessex Water it would be wholly inappropriate for me to comment on Mr Liddell-Grainger's remarks.”