New report urges Government to stop pollution at source, fix the broken water system, and restore nature to England’s rivers, lakes and seas in next generation water reforms.
A major coalition of environmental organisations, including The Wildlife Trusts, National Trust, Wildlife & Countryside Link, and nearly 40 others, today launches Clean Water Now, a new report setting out the urgent reforms needed in the upcoming Water Reform Bill.
Currently, sewage, farming pollution, and chemicals pollute rivers, lakes, and seas, with just 14% of English rivers in good ecological condition. Habitats are shrinking, wildlife is suffering, and people are getting sick. If Government doesn't act now, this once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the rules could slip away, leaving England’s waters in decline for years.
The launch of the report marks the start of a new public campaign demanding ambitious action from Government, regulators, and industry. As a first step, campaigners are urging the public to email their MPs, calling them to back strong, enforceable measures to deliver clean water.
The report sets out three core demands for the Water Reform Bill:
- Stop the polluters − clamp down on sewage, restrict intensive agriculture and ban toxic chemical pollution.
- Fix the broken system − stop water companies putting profit before people and nature, with a tough new regulator focused on nature and local communities involved.
- Restore nature − creating new natural habitats along rivers and coastlines, building natural resilience to climate change and bringing wildlife to communities around the country.
Richard Benwell, Chief Executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “For too long, weak regulation and political delay have allowed sewage, chemicals and agricultural pollution to pour into our rivers while wildlife declines and public trust drains away. The Water Reform Bill must fix the system at its roots, stop pollution at source and deliver real nature recovery – anything less would be a betrayal of people and the environment.”
Kierra Box, nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: "If we're to end water pollution for good, we can't keep on tinkering with the same old broken system that has allowed polluters to pour filth into our waterways for decades with impunity. Its sink or swim time for the government – we urgently need a new, robust water bill that ends the scourge of reckless polluting once and for all."
Harry Bowell, Director of Land & Nature at the National Trust said: “We see every day how polluted waterways damage wildlife, landscapes and people’s enjoyment of the outdoors. Strengthening the role of water companies is an important step, but it must go hand in hand with action across the wider landscape to stop pollution at source. Combining stronger oversight with better management of land, wastewater and surface water, alongside greater investment in nature, is critical to ensuring the nation’s rivers and coastal waters are clean, healthy and resilient for people and wildlife.”
Additional quotes are available in the editor’s notes.
The report argues that years of weak enforcement, regulatory failure, and political delay have allowed pollution from sewage, agriculture, and toxic chemicals to continue while wildlife has declined, and public trust has eroded. It calls for binding national targets, stronger regulators, and regional water authorities with real powers to plan and enforce action at catchment level.
As Parliament prepares to debate the Water Reform Bill, campaigners say half-measures will no longer be tolerated. Public support for clean rivers and beaches is overwhelming, and communities across the country are demanding change. British waters cannot wait.
Read the full Clean Water Now report here and take action by telling your MP that you expect Laws for water that stop polluters, fix what’s broken, and deliver clean water − now.
Additional quotes:
Mark Robinson, Senior Campaigns Manager at WWT, the wetland charity, said: “We are a nation of water-lovers with one, simple message – enough is enough. Now is the time for a plan that matches the reality of the crises facing our waterways, and recognises the essential role of nature in bringing them back to health. If we’re truly to turn the tide on pollution, the government must ensure this unique opportunity to reform the system brings us more water, more wetlands and more wildlife.”
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust, said: “Water is the life source of our landscape, economy and society, and we need to start valuing it as such. Far too many of our rivers are polluted with sewage and run-off from agriculture and highways, and many of their natural features have been destroyed. Concerted action is required to reverse the decline. Making space for water and restoring thriving, blue corridors will create the varied habitats and resilience our landscape and communities urgently need. We need to see a higher level of ambition in the Water Reform Bill and recognition of the strategic importance of water across all government departments.”
Cath Gunby, Executive Director at Fidra said: “Chemical and plastic pollution is contaminating our water, wildlife and communities. Fidra has found high levels of TFA, a PFAS ‘forever chemical’ and breakdown product of PFAS pesticides, in virtually all UK rivers tested; as well as cocktails of contaminants including microplastics, PFAS, chemical flame retardants and pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge applied to farmland running off into waterways, and plastic pellets polluting protected areas. The government must regulate to make polluters pay for clean-up and prevent pollution through restrictions on chemicals and controls on plastics. It is time to put the solutions to pollution into action.”
Professor Jeremy Biggs, CEO of Freshwater Habitats Trust, said: “The Water Reform Bill is this Government’s big chance to deliver on its promise of a fundamental reset for water policy, cutting pollution and restoring freshwater wildlife. To achieve this, the reforms must go further than current legislation in setting the quality standard for England's waters. That's why we want to see more ambitious targets for the remaining high-quality freshwaters, which are refuges for rare and threatened species. The Bill is also a golden opportunity to accelerate recovery by recognising the critical importance of small waters, such as ponds, headwater streams and small wetlands, for freshwater wildlife. By investing in monitoring, creating, and restoring small waters, the Government can rapidly boost freshwater wildlife while the long-term work of restoring bigger rivers and lakes continues."
Ali Morse, water policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts, said: “The sewage scandal is just one symptom of the crisis in England’s waterways. Whole rivers are being polluted by poorly regulated intensive livestock farming, riverbanks are being eroded, and precious chalk streams face irreparable damage with species at risk of being lost forever as a result. Our rivers, and the wildlife that depends on them, are at a tipping point.
“The Water Reform Bill must fix the system, stop pollution and restore nature if we are to clean up our waterways, tackle biodiversity loss, and safeguard local communities from the increasing impacts of climate change. This Government has one chance to drive the recovery of rivers and so the Water Reform Bill must mark a turning point for wildlife and for people across the country.”
Jess Chappell, Policy Lead at the Beaver Trust, said: “The Water White Paper fails to acknowledge the vital role restoring rivers can play in safeguarding us against some of our greatest threats. Making space along rivers allows wetlands and other natural habitats to recover, supporting wildlife and creating opportunities for species reintroductions such as beavers. These habitats also build resilience to flooding and drought, reduce pollution and improve access to green and blue spaces. The forthcoming Water Reform Bill must go further by putting nature-based solutions at its heart to drive real ecological recovery.”
Sandy Luk, CEO at the Marine Conservation Society, said: "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to stop pollution and improve water quality to help England's rivers and seas.
“We need binding targets to reduce pollution across all sectors, as well as requirements for routine monitoring for harmful and persistent pollutants like PFAS and microplastics, and the introduction of a statutory environmental duty for the new regulator. Without these, the reforms risk falling short of the ambition needed to protect all our vital water ecosystems from source to sea.”
Professor Melanie Austen, President of the British Ecological Society, said:“In the Government’s 50 page white paper setting out plans to reform the country’s ailing water system, nature-based solutions are mentioned just five times.
“If we have any hope of reviving our rivers, nature-based solutions must be at the heart of government plans. They are an essential component to both stopping pollution entering waterways and ensuring these vital ecosystems are resilient.
“Farms are the biggest perpetrators of river pollution, but by paying farmers to plant riparian trees, we can reduce fertiliser run off. Extending floodplains connects our rivers, lakes and ponds, allowing wildlife to move freely. This ensures our freshwater habitats are dynamic, diverse, and robust, so they can keep providing us with drinking water, flood defences and everything we ask of them.”
Roger Mortlock, the chief executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “Successive governments have neglected the health of our rivers, lakes, and seas. They underpin nature and our landscapes, as well as sustaining us all. The Bill is an opportunity to reverse the trend. If we want thriving nature and healthy, clean water for future generations then robust regulation and enforcement is vital.
Kyle Lischak, Head of UK at ClientEarth, said: “Clean water is essential for both thriving ecosystems and human welfare. Government has a legal and moral duty to act - the Water Reform Bill must tackle the urgent crises of forever chemicals and toxic sludge which plague our rivers, and rein in the expansion of industrial megafarms putting people's health and wellbeing at risk.”
Lizzie Carr, Founder of Planet Patrol, said: "In the UK, we should be able to trust every drop - from the water in our taps to the rivers our children dip their toes into - and be confident our health and wildlife habitats are being protected. Planet Patrol’s volunteers test waterways and record pollution every week, and they’re demanding a genuine transformation in the state of UK water. The government must seize the opportunity of the Water Reform Bill to stem pollution and put habitat restoration and human wellbeing at the heart of water policy, so our waterways can recover and thrive."
Kierra Box, nature campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: "If we're to end water pollution for good, we can't keep on tinkering with the same old broken system that has allowed polluters to pour filth into our waterways for decades with impunity.
"The government was elected on the promise of ending the sewage scandal, yet its reforms so far have made barely a drop of difference in protecting our precious rivers and seas and holding those responsible to account.
“While polluters have profited from breaking the rules, people and nature have borne the consequences – from sky high water bills to wildlife under threat. It reeks of injustice.
“It's sink or swim time for the government - we urgently need a new, robust water bill that ends the scourge of reckless polluting once and for all."
Alex Farquhar, Freshwater Campaigns Officer at the Angling Trust, said: “Anglers are on the front line of the water quality crisis. We see first-hand the devastating impact that sewage pollution, agricultural run-off and habitat destruction are having on fish populations and the wider aquatic environment. The Water Reform Bill must deliver stronger enforcement, tougher penalties for polluters and meaningful investment in restoring rivers to good health. Healthy rivers mean healthy fish, thriving wildlife and stronger local communities. This is a critical moment to ensure that future generations can enjoy clean, abundant waters — and the government must not miss it.”
Georgina Chandler, ZSL’s Head of Policy and Campaigns, said: “The Water Reform Bill is a critical opportunity to fix a system that is no longer delivering for nature or people. England’s rivers and seas are telling us the current approach isn’t working. We need ambitious reform that puts environmental recovery at the heart of regulation, investment and decision-making – with clear targets, strong oversight and real accountability for polluters.”
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