Nature and sports campaigners to take to streets over water pollution

Environmental activist and singer Feargal Sharkey joined calls for the public to join the London protest in October.

Campaigners from UK marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage in Perranporth, Cornwall (Emily Whitfield-Wicks/PA) (PA Archive)

Green groups and sporting bodies will take to the streets of London for a march in autumn to call for clean water.

Environmental activist and singer Feargal Sharkey will be joining the wide range of groups including River Action, Greenpeace, the Wildlife Trusts, British Rowing and British Canoeing for the protest on October 26.

The former Undertones frontman said it was time for everyone to demand action from leaders as the campaigners urge members of the public to join the demonstration through central London to Parliament Square.

Actor Stephen Fry has also narrated a film ahead of the march to “get Britain’s water off life support”.

The UK has been facing a growing water quality crisis due to a multitude of factors such as ageing water infrastructure, lack of investment from water firms, a growing population, agriculture runoff and industrial pollution.

The cocktail of raw sewage, agricultural waste, chemical pollutants and plastic is presenting increasing risks to human health as well as untold damage to nature.

The March for Clean Water is timed to mark the end of the first 100 days of the Labour Government and comes days before Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first budget.

The environmental groups said they will watch closely for the Government to commit finance to protect UK waters during the autumn statement on October 30.

While the groups welcomed the introduction of a Water Bill in the King’s Speech in July, they said the proposed initiatives are not extensive enough to address the scale of the crisis.

The protesters will therefore call for Sir Keir Starmer to take immediate and decisive action by including a set of measures in the legislation that will end the pollution of Britain’s rivers, lakes and seas.

This includes a plan to address the continuous illegal dumping of raw sewage by the water companies, a full set of solutions to end all other major sources of water pollution, and reforming the regulatory system, including Ofwat and the Environment Agency, so the law can be effectively enforced against polluters.

Mr Sharkey said: “We call on the Government to end the environmental devastation being inflicted upon our rivers, lakes and seas.

“It stops here, it stops today, it stops now. End pollution, end polluting for profit.

“We call on everyone in the country who is concerned or angry at the state of our waters to join us and march.”

Charles Watson, River Action founder and chair, said: “The initial noises coming out of our new Government regarding cleaning up our filthy waterways, while encouraging, do not nearly go far enough to deal with the scale of the problem they have inherited.

“Nothing short of wholescale reform of our failed regulatory system and comprehensive strategies to address all major sources of pollution, including sewage discharges and agricultural run-off, will suffice.”

River Action is coordinating the march in collaboration with other groups, which also include Surfers Against Sewage, the Clean Water Sports Alliance, RSPB, The Women’s Institute, Angling Trust, SOS Whitstable, Wildlife and Countryside Link, The Rivers Trust, Ilkley Clean River Group, Soil Association and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution.

Marchers are encouraged to wear blue to symbolise clean water and to bring noise, placards, puppets, posters, banners, costumes, marching bands and musical instruments.

An Environment Department (Defra) spokesperson said: “We share the public’s anger on this issue and have taken immediate steps to reverse the tide on the unacceptable destruction of our waterways.

“Our Water Bill will include new powers to ban bonuses and bring criminal charges against lawbreakers. This is just the first step in our wider reform of the sector.

“This Government will never look the other way while water companies pump record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.”