May 2026
For years, people across the country have watched their local rivers, lakes, and seas decline. We’ve seen sewage poured into waterways, wildlife disappear from once-thriving habitats, and communities left frustrated by a system that simply isn’t working.
This is why we want an ambitious new Water Bill in the King’s Speech – one that finally meets the scale of the crisis facing our water environment and our communities.
Clean water should be the bare minimum. But right now, England’s rivers are among the most polluted in Europe, with sewage spills, agricultural runoff and chemical pollution all placing huge pressure on our waterways and the wildlife that depends on them.
The public is rightly angry and are clear in the change they want to see. Through the Clean Water Now campaign, over 35,000 people across environmental organisations, campaign groups, and local communities have come together to demand urgent action from Government. Together, we’re calling for meaningful change that restores our rivers and seas, strengthens regulation, and holds polluters to account.
We welcome signs that the Government is preparing new water legislation. But this cannot just be another round of minor changes or headline-grabbing announcements. This is a real opportunity to fix a broken system and deliver positive outcomes for our waterways, and it needs to be treated that way.
For us, an ambitious Water Bill means stopping pollution at its source. That includes ending the routine dumping of sewage into rivers and seas, and addressing the other major causes of water pollution, including agricultural waste and harmful chemicals, such as PFAS.
It also means giving the new water regulator the teeth and resources it needs to properly enforce the law. This regulator should have an environmental duty at its core. For too long, water companies have been allowed to fail communities and the environment without meaningful consequences. That has to change.
Healthy waters are not a luxury. They are essential for wildlife, climate resilience, public health, and local economies. They are places people swim, paddle, walk, fish, and connect with nature. When our waterways are polluted, people and nature suffers. This Bill is an opportunity to reverse decades of decline.
The King’s Speech is a chance for the Government to show real leadership. We want to see a Water Bill that is bold enough to restore public trust and ambitious enough to protect nature for future generations.
The Clean Water Now campaign shows that people across the country are ready for change. Now we need the Government to match that ambition.
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