As the nation swelters in record-breaking temperatures, England is sleepwalking into a water crisis.
Across large parts of the country we are experiencing abnormally warm weather. Rainfall has been scarce for months and, when it has come, it has often fallen onto baked, hardened ground unable to absorb it. Rivers are already running low. Wetlands are drying. Aquifers are under pressure before summer has even properly begun.
Last week’s House of Lords report, Surviving drought: reclaim the rain, should have been a national wake-up call. Instead, it barely registered in public debate.
It ought to have landed like a fire alarm.
The report is devastating in its conclusions. England faces a projected daily water shortfall of five billion litres by 2055. Climate change is bringing hotter summers, more erratic rainfall and longer dry spells. Our water infrastructure is leaking, outdated and unprepared. Rivers and ecosystems are already being pushed beyond their limits by chronic over-abstraction.
Yet perhaps the most damning finding is this: Britain is not actually short of rain.
We are short of political imagination, investment and leadership.
The Lords committee makes clear that rainfall has increased overall since 1970. The problem is that rain now falls in intense bursts, rushing off compacted land, overwhelmed drainage systems and denuded catchments before disappearing out to sea. We have systematically destroyed the natural systems that once held water in the landscape.
We drained wetlands. Straightened rivers. Degraded peatlands. Cleared floodplains. Built over and degraded soils. Treated rivers as industrial plumbing systems rather than living ecosystems.
Now we are paying the price.
Healthy rivers are not a luxury. They are our lifeblood; literally the arteries of our land and our nation’s life-support system. When rivers run low, water temperatures rise, oxygen levels collapse and ecosystems begin to suffocate. Fish die. Algal blooms spread fueled by nutrient pollution from sewage and industrial agriculture. Wildlife disappears. Communities lose places of beauty, recreation and resilience. Businesses, schools, hospitals, our whole economy suffers. Crops fail.
And while households are told to use hosepipes less, the deeper structural failures remain untouched.
Water companies continue to leak enormous volumes of treated water every day, wasting an estimated 3 billion litres in the process. Regulators remain fragmented and reactive. New developments are approved in water-stressed regions without credible long-term supply planning, while loos continue to flush drinking water, which is ludicrous. Industrial demand from data centres and energy infrastructure is accelerating while many rivers are already ecologically exhausted.
The Lords report is particularly important because it finally acknowledges something river campaigners have been saying for years: this is not simply a drought problem. It is a river and water management problem.
England’s rivers are being forced to absorb the consequences of decades of failed policy.
Extraordinary as it may seem, our nation does not have a national strategy for tackling the water scarcity emergency.
The solution cannot simply be more reservoirs and emergency restrictions. We need a fundamental shift in how we manage water and land. That means restoring wetlands, reconnecting floodplains, recharging chalk aquifers, rebuilding healthy soils, reinstating ponds, reintroducing beavers and stopping the relentless over-abstraction and wastage by industry, agriculture and water companies that leaves rivers vulnerable before drought is even officially declared.
We must start treating rainwater as something precious to harvest, store and work with, not something to flush away to the sea as quickly as possible. Our land must be re-wetted and become a sponge again.
The terrifying truth is that what we are seeing now may still be the mild version of the future. The report warns that under higher warming scenarios drought risk could rise dramatically. England could face more frequent and more severe water shortages while also swinging violently between drought and flood.
This is climate breakdown in real time.
The question is no longer whether the crisis is coming. It is already here.
The question is whether the Government, regulators and the water industry are finally prepared to act before our rivers collapse further and water scarcity becomes a defining feature of life in England.
The Lords have sounded the alarm.
Now ministers must decide whether to confront this crisis or preside over its collapse.
We need an urgent budgeted national action plan to save our freshwater.
By Erica Popplewell, Head of Engagement at River Action
“Popcorn Week”
The recent local elections brought major political change across the country, with seats changing hands in every direction and hundreds of new councillors elected to represent their communities. Nationally, the impacts are already being felt. Westminster has entered what one commentator described as “popcorn week”, a moment where everyone sits back and watches the seismic political shifts unfold.
But while attention is focused on national politics, we shouldn’t forget the real power and opportunity that exists at a local level. Because when it comes to protecting our rivers, local government matters enormously.
New councillors are stepping into their roles full of energy, ideas, and a desire to make a difference in their communities. Many will already care deeply about nature and public spaces. Others may not yet realise just how central healthy rivers are to local life – from public health and biodiversity to flooding, recreation, farming, and community wellbeing.
Rivers have been a centre point for local communities for thousands of years.
That’s where we come in.
As campaigners, river users, and citizens who care about our waterways, we have an opportunity right now to help put rivers firmly on the local agenda.
Reach out to your newly elected representatives. Send them a welcome message. Invite them for a walk along their local river. Show them both the beauty and the challenges: the pollution, the sewage, the loss of wildlife, but also the joy, value, and sense of place that rivers bring to communities. For many councillors, environmental issues may sit outside their usual knowledge zone. We can help bridge that gap. We can connect local stories to local action.
River Action’s River Rescue Kit also contains practical resources and guidance to help communities campaign effectively for cleaner rivers and engage with local decision-makers. You can explore ithere.
River pollution – a shared concern
And while you may or may not agree with the political colour of your new council representatives, one thing is worth remembering: in our experience, there are good people in every party who genuinely care about their communities and want to do the right thing.
At River Action, we’ve sat down with representatives from across the political spectrum, including what felt like one of the unlikeliest meetings I’ve ever attended, with two local councillors, one Green and the other Reform. Yet even there, we found a shared concern about the state of our rivers.
So let’s stay open-minded. Let’s focus on common ground. And let’s work with those willing to stand up for clean, healthy rivers. Political change creates moments of possibility. Let’s make sure rivers are part of this new chapter.
Civil Rights leader Bernadette McAliskey, fishermen, swimmers and campaigners to address protest marking 40 years since historic anti-mining march
As toxic blue-green algae begins returning to Lough Neagh for a fourth consecutive year, people across Ireland are being urged to “flood the streets” on Sunday May 17 for a major March for Lough Neagh demanding urgent environmental action and accountability from Stormont.
The march, organised by Save Lough Neagh, will leave the Battery Bar in Co. Tyrone at 12:30pm and proceed to Ardboe High Cross on the shores of Lough Neagh, retracing the route of the historic 1986 anti-lignite mining protest where thousands mobilised to oppose the exploitation of the lough.
Speakers announced for the rally include local fishermen, swimmers, environmental activists and campaigners. Civil Rights leader Bernadette McAliskey who is also speaking at the rally has said:
“I’d encourage people to come along for the march to save Lough Neagh. This year marks forty years since the Lignite mining march, and a little over fifty years since the People’s Democracy march of 1969. A great deal has happened over those decades, but the issues facing our communities and waterways are still with us.”
These marches were never just about one moment in time. They were about ordinary people standing together and refusing to be ignored. That spirit still matters today. If communities don’t stand up for themselves, nobody else will do it for them. Hopefully, we can keep this going for the long term. See you on the march this Sunday.”
The protest comes amid mounting public anger over the ecological collapse of the UK and Ireland’s largest freshwater lake, with biodiversity decline, sewage pollution, fish deaths and recurring toxic algal blooms devastating the ecosystem and threatening public health.
Signs of toxic algae were already reported around parts of the lough in February 2026, earlier than in previous years, raising fears that this summer could see another severe outbreak.
The march also comes as Lough Neagh fisherman Declan Conlon takes legal action against the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), arguing that authorities have failed in their legal duty to protect the lough from nutrient pollution.
Conlon, whose family has fished on Lough Neagh for generations, described to the High Court how toxic algae and ecological decline have devastated both the ecosystem and traditional ways of life around the lough.
The Save Lough Neagh campaign says the crisis is the result of political failure, industrial agriculture, underinvestment in wastewater infrastructure, continued sand dredging and a regulatory system that has prioritised private profit over environmental protection.
The campaign is also reiterating its opposition to the proposed Moy Park-linked industrial factory farm outside Magherafelt currently under planning consideration in Mid Ulster Council, which campaigners say would further intensify nutrient pollution in the lough catchment.
The march has been endorsed by a wide range of environmental, social and political organisations, including River Action UK and Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland, as well as organisers involved in the original 1986 lignite protests.
Earlier this year, wildlife broadcaster and environmental campaigner Chris Packham backed the mobilisation, describing the situation at Lough Neagh as “a national scandal”. He commented:
“The destruction of Lough Neagh is a national scandal unfolding in plain sight. One of these islands’ most important freshwater ecosystems is being sacrificed because governments and regulators have failed to act with the urgency this crisis demands.
Toxic algae, collapsing biodiversity and sewage pollution are not inevitable, they are the consequences of political choices. People marching on May 17 are standing up not only for Lough Neagh, but for every community’s right to clean water and a healthy environment.”
Lough Neagh campaigners at Save Lough Neagh’s film festival and conference last weekend.
Enough is Enough
Pádraig Mac Niocaill, a spokesperson for Save Lough Neagh, said:
“Forty years ago, communities here stood against extraction in the form of lignite mining. Today we face another form of exploitation and environmental destruction, and once again ordinary people are being forced to defend our lough. Stormont has failed Lough Neagh by putting private interests and industrial growth ahead of clean water, biodiversity and public health. Toxic algae is returning year after year while political leaders continue to delay meaningful action.
“The Earl of Shaftesbury continues to profit from sand dredging while the ecosystem collapses around us. Meanwhile, the parties that backed the disastrous Going for Growth agri-policy continue subsidising major polluters while NI Water infrastructure crumbles and untreated sewage enters the lough. Enough is enough. On May 17 we are calling on people across the country to flood the streets for Lough Neagh and demand a future where people, wildlife and clean water come before profit.”
Mary O’Hagan, Lough Neagh swimmer, said:
“Even though winter has barely ended, we are already seeing signs of algae returning around the lough. Communities are frightened about what this summer could bring.
“We are asking everyone to join us on May 17 and send a clear message that we will not accept the destruction of Lough Neagh as normal. This is about our environment, our health and future generations.”
Declan Coney, Lough Neagh fisherman, said:
“I was at the first lignite protest in 1986 when thousands of people marched to defend this lough from exploitation. Forty years later, we find ourselves fighting again, only now the crisis is even more urgent.
“My family has fished these waters for generations, but what we are witnessing now is devastation. Wildlife is disappearing, the ecosystem is collapsing and fishing communities are being pushed to the brink.
“It should never have come to the point where fishermen have to go to court to force government departments to protect the lough. Talk is cheap. We need action now.”
For the first time since devolution, a new party holds the reins in the Senedd. Plaid Cymru won the election with 43 seats, followed by Reform with 34.
As expected, the election was very much a two-party race, with Labour, the Greens and the Liberal Democrats doing somewhat worse than polls had predicted. Labour now holds 9 seats, Conservatives have 7, Greens have 2 and Lib Dems have 1.
Plaid falls short of the 49 seats needed for a majority, but with other parties doing worse than expected, they have limited options with whom to form a coalition. Labour and Plaid are unlikely to find common ground on much, given that Plaid just ousted the long-standing party. Reform and the Conservatives together make a substantial opposition, but we are yet to see if they will work together. Prior to the election, the Conservatives leader, Kemi Badenoch, indicated they would not work with any party that is not delivering, and that “the only deal we’re doing is a deal with the Welsh people”, which could be inferred as an alliance with Plaid over Reform.
In his victory speech on Saturday, Rhun ap Lorweth announced that Plaid will be seeking a minority government. He has now been announced as First Minister of Wales, supported by the two Green Party members.
Plaid Cymru yn cipio’r Senedd
Am y tro cyntaf ers datganoli, mae plaid newydd wrth y llyw yn y Senedd. Plaid Cymru enillodd yr etholiad gyda 43 sedd, wedyn Reform UK gyda 34.
Yn ôl y disgwyl, ras dau geffyl oedd yr etholiad hwn, gyda Llafur, y Gwyrddion a’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol yn gwneud fymryn yn waeth nag yr oedd y polau piniwn wedi’i ddarogan. Mae gan Lafur 9 sedd erbyn hyn, y Ceidwadwyr 7, y Gwyrddion 2 a’r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol 1.
Mae Plaid ychydig yn brin o’r 49 sedd sydd eu hangen ar gyfer mwyafrif, ond gyda phleidiau eraill yn gwneud yn waeth na’r disgwyl, cyfyngedig yw’r opsiynau o ran ffurfio clymblaid. Go brin y bydd Llafur a Plaid yn canfod llawer o dir cyffredin ar lawer, o gofio bod Plaid newydd sgubo’r blaid hirsefydlog o rym. Mae Reform a’r Ceidwadwyr yn bresenoldeb gwrthbleidiol sylweddol, ond dydyn ni ddim eto’n gwybod a fyddan nhw’n cydweithio. Cyn yr etholiad, roedd arweinydd Ceidwadwyr Prydain, Kemi Badenoch, wedi dweud na fydden nhw’n gweithio gydag unrhyw blaid nad yw’n cyflawni, gan nodi “the only deal we’re doing is a deal with the Welsh people”, a allai awgrymu cynghreirio gyda Plaid Cymru yn hytrach na Reform.
Yn ei araith ddydd Sadwrn, cyhoeddodd Rhun ap Iorwerth y bydd Plaid Cymru yn ceisio ffurfio llywodraeth leiafrifol. Mae bellach wedi’i gyhoeddi’n Brif Weinidog Cymru, gyda chefnogaeth dau aelod y Blaid Werdd.
What will Plaid do for Welsh rivers?
In 2025, six of the ten UK constituencies with the highest combined sewage overflows were in Wales, cumulating to over 415,000 hours of pollution. Last year, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) announced that seven out of nine protected rivers are failing Good Ecological Status due to phosphorus pollution. Salmon are expected to disappear completely from some Welsh rivers by 2030.
However, while Plaid Cymru’s manifesto offered positive steps towards tackling environmental issues, rivers were notably absent from their first 100 days pledge, launched during the Parties’ Conference in February. Yet with wider water reforms from Westminster imminent, Plaid Cymru will need to outline its position on addressing river pollution.
Beth fydd Plaid Cymru yn ei wneud dros afonydd Cymru?
Yn 2025, roedd chwech o’r deg etholaeth yn y DU gyda’r lefelau uchaf o orlif carthffosiaeth gyfun yng Nghymru, gan gronni dros 415,000 awr o lygredd. Y llynedd, cyhoeddodd Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru (CNC) fod saith o bob naw afon warchodedig yn methu â chyrraedd Statws Ecolegol Da, dynodiad a bennwyd gan ddeddfwriaeth yr UE, yn sgil llygredd ffosfforws. Mae’r dirywiad mewn bywyd gwyllt yn arwydd o hyn, gyda disgwyl i’r eog ddiflannu’n llwyr o rai afonydd Cymru erbyn 2030.
Ond er bod maniffesto Plaid Cymru yn cynnig camau cadarnhaol tuag at fynd i’r afael â materion amgylcheddol, roedd afonydd yn amlwg absennol o’u haddewid 100 diwrnod cyntaf, a lansiwyd yng nghynhadledd y Blaid ym mis Chwefror. Ond gyda diwygiadau dŵr ehangach ar y gweill o du San Steffan, bydd angen i Plaid Cymru amlinellu ei safbwynt ar fynd i’r afael â llygredd afonydd.
Westminster is expected to announce new legislation to clean up rivers tomorrow (Wednesday 13th May) in the King’s Speech through the ‘Water Reform Bill’. The UK Government has indicated its intention to create a new integrated regulator for the water sector, combining Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and some functions of the Environment Agency, with implications for the regulation of Welsh water companies. While Plaid has committed to seeking full devolution of powers over water, interim processes for interaction with NRW will need to be established. This could be a timely opportunity for Plaid to take action on NRW, the Welsh environmental regulator, which is widely recognised as not fit for purpose.
NRW as it currently operates is limited in impact, in part due to a lack of resourcing, but also a failure to implement an effective strategy for reducing pollution from both agricultural sources and the water sector.
One area that River Action has identified is the process by which NRW deals with pollution from industrial livestock. As it stands, NRW has chosen to ‘wash its hands’ of pollution by failing to take into account the environmental impact of manure once it leaves the farm boundary. Any reform of NRW must ensure that, as a regulator, it acknowledges and uses its full powers to act, including placing conditions on permits or refusing them where pollution risks cannot be properly controlled.
Cau’r bwlch rheoleiddio ar lygredd afonydd
Mae disgwyl i San Steffan gyhoeddi deddfwriaeth newydd i lanhau afonydd heddiw (dydd Mercher 13 Mai) yn Araith y Brenin drwy’r ‘Bil Diwygio Dŵr’. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi nodi ei bwriad i greu rheoleiddiwr integredig newydd ar gyfer y sector dŵr, gan gyfuno Ofwat, yr Arolygiaeth Dŵr Yfed a rhai o swyddogaethau Asiantaeth yr Amgylchedd, gyda goblygiadau i reoleiddio cwmnïau dŵr Cymru. Er bod Plaid wedi ymrwymo i geisio datganoli pwerau dros ddŵr yn llawn, bydd angen sefydlu prosesau interim ar gyfer rhyngweithio â CNC. Gallai hyn fod yn gyfle amserol i Plaid fynd i’r afael â CNC, rheoleiddiwr amgylcheddol Cymru, sy’n cael ei gydnabod yn eang fel un nad yw’n addas i’r diben.
Mae CNC fel y mae ar hyn o bryd yn gyfyngedig o ran effaith, yn rhannol oherwydd diffyg adnoddau, ond hefyd yn sgil methiant i weithredu strategaeth effeithiol ar gyfer lleihau llygredd o ffynonellau amaethyddol a’r sector dŵr.
Un maes a nodwyd gan River Action yw’r broses lle mae CNC yn delio â llygredd da byw diwydiannol. Fel y mae pethau ar hyn o bryd, mae CNC wedi dewis ‘golchi ei ddwylo’ ar lygredd trwy fethu ag ystyried effaith amgylcheddol tail ar ôl iddo adael ffiniau’r fferm. Rhaid i unrhyw broses o ddiwygio CNC sicrhau ei fod, fel rheoleiddiwr, yn cydnabod ac yn defnyddio ei bwerau llawn i weithredu, gan gynnwys gosod amodau ar drwyddedau neu eu gwrthod lle nad oes modd rheoli risgiau llygredd yn iawn.
Poultry factory farms are a lead perpetrator for agricultural pollution in Wales
What about the water companies?
Plaid’s manifesto set out a commitment to set up a new Welsh water regulator, with powers to set price controls, limit bonuses, and direct capital investment to reduce sewage spills, upgrade infrastructure and make environmental improvements.
While better regulation is certainly part of the solution, the ability of water companies to prioritise financial returns over customers and the environment remains a fundamental issue. As a not-for-profit, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water can still pay executives and bondholders high amounts. Although it does have lower bills than many English water companies and fewer pollution incidents, it continues to contribute to unacceptable levels of environmental pollution.
Plaid has also committed to setting out pathways towards the nationalisation of Welsh Water. Public ownership would help address the issue of financial extraction from essential water services. There are also other alternatives, such as municipally ownership, or community-interest models, which could attract the investment needed while prioritising environmental protection and public benefit. Whatever structure is chosen, water companies and the regulator should have a statutory duty to prioritise the environment and public health.
It is now up to this new Senedd Government to decide whether stronger regulation alone will set the Welsh water sector on a path to environmental recovery, or whether more fundamental structural reform of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water is needed to stop the pollution of Welsh rivers and waterways.
Beth am y cwmnïau dŵr?
Roedd maniffesto Plaid yn nodi ymrwymiad i sefydlu rheoleiddiwr dŵr newydd yng Nghymru, gyda phwerau i osod rheolaethau prisiau, cyfyngu ar fonysau, a buddsoddiad cyfalaf uniongyrchol i leihau achosion o ollwng carthffosiaeth, uwchraddio’r seilwaith a gwneud gwelliannau amgylcheddol.
Er bod rheoleiddio gwell yn rhan o’r ateb heb os, mae gallu cwmnïau dŵr i flaenoriaethu enillion ariannol dros gwsmeriaid a’r amgylchedd yn parhau’n broblem sylfaenol. Fel sefydliad nid-er-elw, mae gan Dŵr Cymru filiau is na llawer o gwmnïau dŵr yn Lloegr a llawer llai o achosion llygredd, ond mae’n parhau i gyfrannu at lefelau annerbyniol o lygredd amgylcheddol.
Mae Plaid hefyd wedi ymrwymo i fraenaru’r tir tuag at wladoli Dŵr Cymru. Byddai perchnogaeth gyhoeddus yn helpu i fynd i’r afael â’r mater o echdynnu arian o wasanaethau dŵr hanfodol. Mae yna ddewisiadau amgen eraill hefyd, megis perchnogaeth fwrdeistrefol, neu fodelau buddiannau cymunedol, a allai ddenu’r buddsoddiad sydd ei angen gan flaenoriaethu diogelu’r amgylchedd a budd y cyhoedd. Pa bynnag strwythur gaiff ei ddewis, dylai cwmnïau dŵr a’r rheoleiddiwr fod â dyletswydd statudol i flaenoriaethu’r amgylchedd ac iechyd y cyhoedd.
Mater i’r Llywodraeth newydd hon yn y Senedd yw penderfynu a fydd rheoleiddio cryfach ar ei ben ei hun yn gosod sector dŵr Cymru ar drywydd adferiad amgylcheddol, neu a oes angen diwygio strwythurol mwy sylfaenol ar Dŵr Cymru er mwyn atal llygredd afonydd a dyfrffyrdd Cymru.
More than 4,500 people, angry, frustrated and exhausted, have turned to the courts because they believe their rivers have been polluted and those allegedly responsible have not been held to account.
On Monday last week, the High Court heard the first stage of a landmark legal case led by law firm Leigh Day over pollution in the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk. It is the largest claim ever brought over UK environmental pollution. Behind that headline figure are thousands of individuals who feel they have been left with no other option – and more people joining every week.
These are not abstract environmental concerns. These are rivers people live beside, rely on and identify with. They support wildlife, local economies, farming, tourism and public health. Yet they are now widely seen as being in serious decline.
Amy Fairman, Head of Campaigns at River Action, outside the Royal Courts of Justice
Avara Foods supplies poultry to some of the UK’s leading supermarkets and fast-food chains, producing chicken at an industrial scale in a concentrated area.
Communities along the Wye, Lugg and Usk argue that this industrial model carries a clear environmental cost, and that the corporate group directing the scale and profit of this intensive poultry operation cannot ignore their alleged role in driving the system behind the pollution of these rivers.
An example of an Industry Poultry Unit (IPUs) that are frequently operated by Avara Foods.
Welsh Water – a serial polluter
Welsh Water/Dŵr Cymru, the region’s sewerage operator, is also accused of materially contributing to pollution through the discharge of sewage into these rivers and through the production of sewage sludge applied to land in a similar way to poultry manure.
In 2023, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water was responsible forover 916,000 hours of sewage releases across Wales and England, accounting for around 20% of the UK total, with over 70,000 hours believed to have occurred in the River Wye Catchment.
Communities say they are being forced to live with the consequences of a system that allows waste to enter waterways that should be protected.
Outside the Royal Courts of Justice, peaceful demonstrators gathered in support, in an action organised by River Action UK. Many had travelled from Wales and Herefordshire. They beat drums, held a blessing of the rivers, and stood alongside the Goddess of the Wye, a 10-foot puppet symbolising the river. It underscored that this case is not only legal, but personal to a community who have suffered real losses.
At the centre of the case is nutrient pollution, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, linked to sewage discharges and poultry manure spread on land and washed into waterways. These nutrients can trigger algal blooms and bacteria that strip oxygen from the water, damaging ecosystems and killing aquatic life. Sewage discharges and poultry manure are also alleged to have directly added further harmful bacteria to these rivers.
For the people bringing this claim, this is not theoretical. They say they have seen water quality decline, wildlife disappear, and rivers they once used become unsafe. Many point to impacts on livelihoods and the value of their homes, others to their health. All describe a sense that the situation has been allowed to worsen without effective intervention.
River Action, legal team and campaigners outside the Royal Courts of Justice
It is time for real accountability
This case is about accountability. It asks whether those who have operated in these catchments at an industrial scale should make right the damage the communities claim has been caused.
Last week’s hearing did not determine the outcome. Instead, it began to set out how the case will proceed, including timelines, whether more people can join, and what information must be disclosed by the Avara group defendants. These decisions matter. The clearer the scale of harm, the harder it becomes to ignore.
Claimants are seeking change. They want allegedly harmful practices addressed and reversed, and are asking whether those allegedly responsible should be required to repair the damage already done. The case comes at a time when the sustainability of intensive farming and the performance of wastewater systems are under increasing scrutiny. Both can cause serious environmental harm if done at a scale the eco-system cannot absorb.
For many involved, the aim is simple. They want clean, healthy rivers again. Rivers they can use, rely on, and pass on in a better state.
The River Wye
Change can no longer wait
What makes this case significant is not just its size, but what it represents. It reflects a growing belief that environmental protections are not keeping pace with the pressures on natural systems, and that legal action has become one of the few remaining routes for a community to demand change and seek redress.
Thousands of people are no longer prepared to accept that the decline of their rivers is inevitable. They believe these rivers have been pushed too far, and they are now asking the court to decide what accountability should look like. This case is not just about the Wye, the Lugg and the Usk. It is about whether environmental harm on this scale can be challenged, and whether communities can force change when other systems fail, with the potential for significant ramifications nationally.
Above all, it is about whether communities act when the damage is clear, and whether we are prepared to restore what has been lost.
–Following yesterday’s Channel 4 News investigation, which reported that nearly 6,000 Category 1 and 2 pollution incidents involving water companies were downgraded without direct inspection between 2015 and 2025, while prosecution rates for more than 11,400 pollution incidents over the past decade were reportedly around 0.5%, CEO of River Action James Wallace said:
“We are deeply concerned that thousands of the most serious pollution incidents in England have been downgraded without direct inspection over the past decade.
“These findings raise profound questions about the state of environmental enforcement in England and whether regulators are being properly resourced and empowered to uphold the law.
“This is not about the commitment of frontline Environment Agency staff, many of whom are working under immense pressure after years of cuts and underfunding. It is about political failure to provide regulators with the resources, independence and legal backing needed to properly investigate and prosecute environmental offences.
“The consequences are severe. Pollution incidents go unchecked, environmental damage escalates, public confidence collapses, and polluters avoid meaningful accountability while rivers, lakes and coastal waters continue to deteriorate.
“We need an Environment Agency that is properly funded, fully independent and capable of urgently responding to serious pollution incidents. We also need faster prosecutions and penalties severe enough to deter polluters from treating environmental harm as simply another cost of doing business.
“But even with regulatory reform, nothing will change until the privatised water industry has been restructured for public benefit. Anything less risks continuing the normalisation of environmental harm on an industrial scale.”
Notes on River Action’s funding model River Action does not accept funding from the Government or polluters. That independence allows us to hold power to account without fear or favour.
By Enda McGarrity, Director at P.A. Duffy & Co. Solicitors
Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. It supplies drinking water to much of Northern Ireland and supports a unique ecosystem, a historic fishing community and livelihoods that stretch back generations. Today, this vital natural asset is in crisis.
For several summers, Lough Neagh has been smothered by severe blue-green algal blooms driven by excessive nutrient pollution. The green slicks spreading across the water are not merely unpleasant to look at. They signal ecological failure. Wildlife is disappearing, fish stocks are under pressure, and communities around the lough are increasingly concerned about the consequences of prolonged pollution.
Against this backdrop, local eel fisherman Declan Conlon has brought a legal challenge against the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). His case asks the courts to examine whether the authorities have fulfilled their legal responsibilities to protect Lough Neagh and those who depend upon it from nutrient pollution.
In his sworn affidavit to the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, Declan described the long tradition of eel fishing in his family. He told the court, “Our father James Gerard Conlon was an eel fisherman and his father Hughie Conlon before him was an eel fisherman. Going further back than that, beyond memory, my family would all have been fishermen.”
For families like the Conlon’s, fishing on Lough Neagh is not simply a job but a way of life built on generations of knowledge and experience. The eel fishery is internationally recognised, and Lough Neagh eel holds Protected Geographical Indication status.
But what Declan and many others are witnessing today is a serious decline in the ecosystem that once supported this way of life.
The algal blooms affecting the lough are the visible symptom of excessive nutrients entering the water from agricultural runoff and wastewater discharges. When nutrients accumulate in a lake, they fuel the explosive growth of algae that can damage ecosystems and threaten wildlife.
Declan has seen these changes directly. He has described a lough where the flies that once fed the eels have disappeared, birdlife has diminished, and at times the blue-green algae gives off a very bad smell, an unpleasant gassy odour. The fishing season, once a reliable source of income, has been severely disrupted.
As Declan told the court:
“My way of life has been destroyed by the blue green algae and I want the DAERA to do whatever is necessary to stop the algae and safeguard and protect Lough Neagh, the fish, the flies and the wildlife for the benefit of future generations.”
It should never fall to a fisherman to bring a case of this magnitude. Yet Declan’s action highlights an important truth: environmental protections only matter when they are implemented effectively. When they are not, the environment and the communities dependent upon them suffer.
Northern Ireland has legal frameworks designed to protect rivers, lakes and coastal waters from pollution. River Basin Management Plans and regulatory controls on nutrient discharges are intended to ensure water bodies achieve good ecological status.
But when pollution persists year after year, and ecological decline becomes visible to those who depend on the water, it is right to ask whether those legal duties are being fulfilled.
Declan’s judicial review asks the court to examine that question.
We welcome the interventions of River Action and Friends of Earth NI in this case.
River Action has a strong track record of holding environmental regulators to account through the courts, including legal actions over pollution in the River Wye challenging the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales on nutrient pollution oversight.River Action is applying to intervene to assist the court by clarifying what constitutes a lawful River Basin Management Plan and by addressing the duty of regulators to put in place effective and enforceable measures where pollution is causing clear ecological harm.
This case is not about assigning blame to any single sector. Farmers, fishermen, businesses and residents all depend on the health of Lough Neagh. Rather, the case seeks clarity about whether current plans to tackle nutrient pollution are strong enough to restore the lough.
The legal question at the heart of the challenge is straightforward: when a protected water body is clearly failing, are authorities taking the steps required by law to reverse that decline?
Judicial review ensures public authorities act within the law and fulfil duties placed upon them.
This case matters not only for the Conlon family or the fishermen of Lough Neagh. It matters for everyone who depends on clean water and responsible environmental governance.
Lough Neagh is central to Northern Ireland’s landscape, culture and water supply. Allowing it to decline year after year is not inevitable, nor acceptable.
Declan Conlon has shown courage in bringing this case. His aim is not only to defend his livelihood and way of life, but to ensure the law protects the lough for future generations.
By Ellie Roxburgh, Policy and Advocacy Manager, and Erica Popplewell, Head of Engagement
There’s a lot of noise ahead of May’s Senedd election – new voting systems, shifting polls, and speculation about who might form the next government. But beneath that sits a more important question: what kind of country does Wales want to be when it comes to its rivers? Because the decisions taken after this election will shape their future for decades.
This election matters precisely because it is so uncertain. No party is likely to win outright, which means priorities will be negotiated in coalition talks. In that kind of environment, issues only stay at the top if they are politically unavoidable—and river health has too often been treated as something that can be traded off. That’s a risk Wales cannot afford to take.
The reality is that Welsh rivers are already under serious strain. Sewage pollution, agricultural runoff and weak enforcement have pushed many waterways beyond ecological limits. Public awareness is growing, and rightly so, this is about health, nature and the places people live. Crucially, there are decisions to be made in Wales. The Senedd has the power to act.
On water system reform, most parties acknowledge that water companies should be held accountable but stop short of fundamental change. Labour’s proposed Clean Water Bill and new regulator are steps forward, while others focus on infrastructure and sewage discharges without addressing the system itself. Only Plaid Cymru and the Greens clearly challenge the current model and treat water as a public good.
Senedd Elections 2026 – River Action’s RAG review for river pollution manifestos (Click image for full size)
Agriculture remains the biggest gap
Despite being a major source of river pollution, agricultural pollution is still politically under-addressed. In a bid to make lives easier for farmers by taking the approach of cutting red tape, Reform and the Conservatives will struggle to meet other commitments to clean up rivers.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats favour support and incentives over firm regulation, whereas Plaid Cymru takes the approach of replacing unfit regulations with something that is science-led and risk-appropriate. Only the Greens fully recognise the impact of intensive farming. The result is a clear mismatch between the scale of the problem and the strength of the response.
Intensive poultry units (IPUs) are commonplace in Wales and a major contributor to agricultural pollution.
Progress, but not enough to fix Wales’ rivers
There are some positive shifts. More parties are now framing river pollution as a public health issue, reflecting growing public concern. But stronger language is not the same as stronger policy. Without clear targets, monitoring and enforcement, many commitments risk falling short in practice.
Overall, the picture is one of partial progress but insufficient ambition. In a fragmented Senedd, that matters even more. Without clear commitments, river health risks being diluted in post-election negotiations.
This is why River Action is calling for a step change:
A water system that prioritises public and environmental health
Real action on agricultural pollution
Enforceable plans to restore rivers
A long-term approach to water resilience
These are not radical demands – they are the foundations required to get the system to work.
A first hearing for the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk pollution claim will take place at the High Court in London on Monday, 27 April 2026.
The claim, which is the biggest ever to be brought in the UK over domestic environmental pollution, now has more than 4,500 people on board.
The hearing next week will determine key aspects of the way the case will be managed, including a timetable and a deadline for other residents and businesses to join the legal claim.
River Action is supporting the legal claim and is organising a show of support outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the morning of the hearing. The giant Goddess of the Wye, a large-scale puppet symbolising the river, will appear outside the court alongside clean water campaigners calling for action to protect these threatened waterways.
The legal claim is against industrial chicken producer Avara Foods Limited and its subsidiary Freemans of Newent Limited, as well as the region’s sewerage operator Welsh Water.
It is argued that Avara’s and Freemans of Newent’s industrial chicken operations plus Welsh Water’s management of the sewerage system have resulted in widespread pollution in the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk. All three defendants have denied the allegations.
The High Court hearing on 27 April will see the parties appear in court for the first time to argue how the claims should be managed going forwards. The claimants will argue that the community should be given a longer opportunity to join this environmental legal action, and that the poultry defendants should be ordered to disclose details of the locations of their industrial poultry operations across the region.
The legal claim against Avara, Freemans of Newent and Welsh Water alleges that pollution has been caused by water run-off from farmland containing high levels of phosphorus, nitrogen and bacteria from poultry manure spread on the land as fertiliser. It also alleges bacteria and nutrient pollution in the rivers has been caused by the discharge of sewage directly into the rivers from Welsh Water sewerage systems.
The claim was filed at the High Court in autumn 2025.
Leigh Day partner Oliver Holland, who leads the claim, said:
“This first court appearance marks an important step in the Wye, Lugg and Usk pollution claim. There has been a great deal of effort put in by the community and environmental campaigners to help drive the proceedings to this point, showing the strength of feeling from those involved about the state of the rivers. They feel that the government and regulators have not done enough to prevent the deterioration of these rivers, leaving court action as their only option to pursue environmental justice.
“In this hearing, important aspects of case management such as deadlines for the next stages and disclosure of information by both sides will be determined. We are hoping for a positive outcome, and to be able to look ahead to presenting our clients’ arguments in full to the High Court in due course.”
River Action’s head of legal Emma Dearnaley said:
“This case comes at a critical time for some of our most cherished rivers and the communities connected to them. We believe industrial-scale chicken production supplying major supermarkets and fast-food chains has placed immense pressure on the Wye, Lugg and Usk, driving nutrient pollution levels that these sensitive ecosystems cannot absorb. Sewage pollution must also be reduced and stopped to reverse the decline of these rivers.
“River Action supports this claim because it gives a voice to thousands of people who refuse to accept the continued degradation of their rivers. Communities should not have to live with the consequences of sewage pollution or an intensive farming model that we believe pollutes their waterways. This action offers an important way to hold those allegedly responsible to account and secure the systemic change needed to protect and restore our rivers for generations to come.”
I took a water company to court over sewage pollution. Here’s why I’m still campaigning.
My name is Jo Bateman, and I am taking legal action against South West Water because I am sick of sewage pollution ruining the sea where I swim.
A few years ago, I was living in the Midlands, about as far from the coast as you can get. I loved walking, so I decided to spend a week on the South West Coast Path, from Poole to Lyme Regis. That week changed everything. I fell in love with the sea. Not long after, I handed in my notice, sold my house, and moved to Exmouth to live by the coast.
Then one winter’s day, I was persuaded to get into the sea, reluctantly at first. From that moment, I was hooked. I have been sea swimming year-round ever since. When I am in the water, everything going on in my head gets left behind on the shore. All that exists is me, the sea, and the cold. When I get out, I feel completely transformed. The mental health benefits are huge. It reduces stress, lifts my mood, and gives me a sense of calm I cannot find anywhere else.
Jo, in the water
From sea swimming to sewage pollution awareness
At the beginning, I knew nothing about sewage pollution, and ignorance really was bliss. I could enjoy the sea without thinking about what might be in it. But over time, that changed. I started seeing alerts warning of sewage discharges into the water. There were days when the sea was unsafe, days when I could not swim, and days when something that had become essential to my wellbeing was taken away from me.
The more I learned about sewage dumping by water companies, the more shocked and angry I became. It was not just occasional incidents. It was frequent, systemic, and deeply damaging. What had started as a personal passion quickly became a source of frustration and concern. Eventually, I reached a point where I felt I could not just stand by and accept it.
Jo at the March for Clean Water, 2024
Why I took legal action against a water company
In 2024, I decided to take South West Water to court. I filed a claim in the small claims court, seeking compensation for loss of amenity because repeated sewage pollution was preventing me from swimming. The cost to file the claim was £50, and I asked for £379.50 in compensation.
But this was never really about the money. It was about the principle. Why should water companies be allowed to pollute our rivers and seas and face so few consequences?
Water companies often argue that sewage discharges are unavoidable, particularly during heavy rainfall. They say the system cannot cope and that dumping sewage is necessary to prevent worse outcomes. I do not accept that explanation. Rain is not new. The UK has always experienced heavy rainfall. The real issue is decades of underinvestment in infrastructure, combined with a system that has prioritised shareholder payouts over environmental protection.
Jo talking to Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2
From one legal claim to a growing movement
What happened next was something I never expected. My case resonated with people far beyond Exmouth. What started as a small claim quickly grew into something much larger.
The case is now supported by the law firm Leigh Day and has progressed to the High Court. Alongside this, a group legal action has been launched on behalf of the people of Exmouth, with more than 1,300 claimants taking action against South West Water.
Personally, my life has changed beyond recognition. I have become part of a wider community of people who care deeply about clean water and are willing to speak out and take action. I have gone from being a relatively quiet person to speaking in Parliament, appearing in national media, and addressing large crowds at protests and events. There is even a documentary telling my story (find out more).
‘Jo in the Water’ documentary premiere
Why I am still taking on water companies
Taking on a water company can feel like a David and Goliath battle. These are large, powerful organisations with significant resources. I am just one individual. But I believe this fight is necessary.
Clean water should not be a privilege. It should be a basic right. We should be able to swim in the sea without worrying about sewage pollution. We should be able to trust that water companies are protecting the environment, not harming it.
We live in a world where extraordinary technological achievements are possible. It should not be beyond us to build and maintain a sewage system that does not pollute our rivers and seas. Real change requires accountability. It requires proper enforcement of environmental laws, and it requires water companies to stop putting profit before pollution.
Jo campaigning outside 10 Downing Street
A message to others fighting sewage pollution
If there is one thing I have learned through this experience, it is that individual action matters. You do not have to accept the status quo, and you do not have to stay silent.
There are thousands of people who feel the same way, and together we are far more powerful than we are alone. Collective action can drive change, even in the face of powerful institutions.
This is about all of us. It is about the future of our rivers, our seas, and our environment. And it is a fight we cannot afford to lose.
Because nature needs us.
If you would like to find out more about Jo’s incredible story, you can book a ticket to a screening of her documentary here.
