The Government has announced updates to water industry regulation, in what it calls the ‘biggest overhaul in a generation’. Wildlife and Countryside Link, the biggest environmental coalition in England, does not think this goes far enough to repair the damage done by years of bad practice.
Richard Benwell, Chief Executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:
"Clamping down on water company inaction is good, but it's not enough to meet public demand for rivers, lakes, and seas that are clean, healthy, and safe.
"If this Government is to deliver the once-in-a-generation change that ministers promise, then the big polluting sectors must all be shaken up. Clear limits on intensive agriculture are essential to fix pollution hotspots like the Wye. Harmful chemicals such as PFAS must be banned, with industry made to pay for clean-up. And the new regulator must rigorously police water companies, acting in the public interest rather than prioritising private profit.
"Paired with ambitious restoration of degraded riverbanks and floodplains, these measures could begin to reverse decades of damage and offer real hope for the freshwater environment.
"This Government has one chance in this Parliament to meet public demand for clean water. Success would bring public health, environmental recovery, and economic resilience. Defra must not stop with its White Paper proposals but take decisive action for clean water now.”
Read more in our briefing here: Priorities for the Water Reform Bill
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