Recent reports have found Britain’s waterways are drowning in sewage. It’s time to expose the fight for clean water in our rivers.

If I were to ask you to guess how many rivers in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland have clean water, what would you say? 70%? 50%? I mean, if you were really cynical you might go as low as 25%? Well, the reality is you probably weren’t cynical enough.

The Rivertrust’s State Of Our Rivers’ report found that 0% of rivers in the UK and Northern Ireland were of good quality. That’s none, nil, zilch, nought. However you want to word it, it certainly won’t make you feel any better about this sobering find, and it certainly won’t fix this silent crisis that our rivers and lakes are facing. 

The sorry state of UK waterways did not come about overnight. It has been a slow methodical process of poisoning involving illegal sewage discharge, dumping of rubbish/harmful chemicals, and the profit first mentality that has driven the UK’s private water companies for decades. 

Emily Cooper, a science communicator for The Marine Conservation Society says: “The problem of sewage can’t be overstated. It is such a widespread and urgent issue. 

“Apart from the fact the thought of sewage spreading through our water is pretty grim. It introduces forever chemicals, plastic pollution and pathogens that are making swimmers and people sick. It’s absolutely ridiculous that this is occurring in this country at this stage in our progression as a society. It’s death by a thousand cuts, waterways are being attacked from all angles.”

At this point some important context should be given with regards to what counts as legal and illegal sewage dumping. So bear with me as we get into the technicalities and the word sewage gets used more than anyone would like.

As outlined in the Environment Agency’s 1994 CSO control policy, UK water companies can legally open systems called Combined Sewage Overflows (CSOs) in specific conditions such as heavy rainfall.

This is supposed to be for when the combined sewage and groundwater systems become overloaded; the CSOs take the strain off the sewers by dumping diluted raw sewage into rivers and seas across the country. It’s worth noting that this should be and is legally viewed as a last resort, not a matter of convenience.

If the specific parameters are not met, then according to the 1991 Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive it is considered illegal to dump untreated sewage into UK waterways. Shocking, right?

However, and it is a big however, according to data from the Environment Agency there were a total of 3.6 million hours of illegal spilling of sewage into UK rivers and seas in 2023. This doubled from the previous year and means that there were on average a nauseating 1,271 spills a day last year!

UK water companies have claimed these numbers are due to an increase in heavy rain over the annual period and an outdated sewage system. 

Anna Boyles, leader of the pollution sector for the Thames Water turnaround plan says:

“Any spill to the environment is undesirable and unacceptable however the way that the system is designed is ultimately the challenge we have to face.”

But what does this all mean to people who may not be directly involved with rivers on a day-to-day basis? Well, it really is hard to emphasise just how important waterways are to everyday life in Britain. From an ecological standpoint they are vital in maintaining the country’s precious ecosystems.

Ms Cooper described them as ‘highways of biodiversity for all living creatures in the UK’. Even when excluding wildlife, studies have indicated that waterscapes can play an important therapeutic role in the physical, mental, and social health.

Research such as ‘Waterscapes for Promoting Mental Health in the General Population’ may even suggest that  a waterscape is more beneficial for mental health than a neighbourhood green space. 

At this point I think it’s fair to say the current information available on the state of UK waterways does not paint a pretty picture. So finally, we reach the question of what next? How do we climb out of the frying pan and avoid falling into the fire? 

At a recent PMQs Caroline Lucas the Green Party MP for Brighton and Hove voiced the opinion herself and many others around the country share: the call for UK water to be brought back into public ownership. 

Since the privatisation of UK water under Margaret Thatcher in 1989, water companies have been allowed to rack up debts of £64 billion yet have paid an eye watering £78 billion to shareholders in dividends. As well as this, an article from The Guardian found 70% of the UK water industry is in foreign ownership.

Dr Kate Bayliss, a research associate with the department of economics at SOAS University of London, told the newspaper “There is a much stronger focus on extracting revenue, rather than the long-term health of a company.”

She added, “the ownership structure of some water companies was so complex and opaque that it was impossible to know exactly who owned them.”

These concerning revelations have resulted in campaigners demanding for UK water to be handed back into public ownership because they believe the privately owned companies do not have their best interest at heart. 

This is all well and good, but such a large-scale operation is not something the average joe can make happen overnight. So what can we do as individuals to breath new life into our precious waterways? 

Dr Edward Shaw a leader in sustainable drainage systems and CEO of the Don Catchment River Trust gave three tips to avoid polluting our rivers: 

“Don’t flush wet wipes or sanitary towels down the toilet or pour fats down the drain. Over time this can block the sewer, causing it to overflow into rivers.

“Remember the water that drains from our towns, cities and houses ends up in our rivers. Be careful not to spill chemicals/dust and avoid using fertilisers and pesticides when possible.

“Consider volunteering to help our rivers. There are a number of groups running activities to benefit our rivers across different areas. For example, river litter picks and river pollution monitoring groups.”

Whilst the current landscape appears bleak, there does seem to be a light at the end of tunnel. Mounting pressure on the government and water companies by campaigners and MPs, means they are being monitored closer than ever before. 

The Environment Agency has announced a fourfold increase in water company inspections to hold companies to account – rising to 4000 a year by the end of March 2025, and then to 10,000 from April 2026. As well as an increase in unannounced inspections.

They also have revealed the largest infrastructure programme in water company history – a £60 billion project set to be carried out over 25 years to revamp ageing assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.  

Whether these ideas will be acted upon, well, time will tell. But for now, I believe we bear an element of individual responsibility in making the effort required to protect the systems that provide so much for all life in this country.