Flushed away

On their journey from spring to sea, Britain’s bountiful rivers have always provided the lifeblood of our nation – essential to our economy, wildlife, and wellbeing.

These wonderful waterways fascinate us at all ages – whether we’re skimming stones and floating sticks or are drawn to them for serene contemplation and the promise of a fleeting glimpse of a kingfisher. They offer refuge, peace, and food source to countless natural wonders.

However, the current situation for rivers in England is unacceptable, as you’ll read in this report.

For instance, sewage is discharged straight into rivers across England and Wales from nearly 18,000 sewer overflows. These overflows are meant to release only during extreme rainfall, but many are discharging more frequently. Although there’s an ambitious programme to improve the monitoring of overflows, at present, neither the environmental regulators nor water companies understand the volume of untreated sewage being discharged into the environment.

The findings in this report show the urgent need to transform how we treat and support our freshwater environment. I hope you’ll support our call for a commitment so that our rivers are restored to ‘good ecological status’ by 2027.