According to the environmental charity Earthwatch, people are increasingly taking pollution monitoring into their own hands. During the year, thousands of people have taken part in protests over sewage spills in rivers and on beaches from Essex to Edinburgh. And at the same time, there’s been a boom in citizen scientists turning their attention to […]

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Livestock farms in England polluted rivers 300 times last year, causing 20 major incidents, according to the latest government figures. Yet only six farms were prosecuted in 2021, with the Environment Agency giving out warning letters instead, the BBC reported. The dairy industry – mostly thanks to the waste its millions of cows produce – […]

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The Guardian has reported that the government’s efforts to protect UK rivers have been labelled an “abject failure” after two-thirds of farms in Devon were found to be causing pollution when inspected by the Environment Agency. Between 2016 and 2020, the agency visited more than 100 cattle farms in north Devon to check levels of compliance with […]

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The campaigning organisation, River Action, has written to the new UK Prime Minister and Environment Secretary to congratulate them on their appointments and to urge them to take action to address the state of UK’s rivers. Last week we reported on the Environment Minister’s first day in office and his demand for water company chief […]

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Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is calling for water companies to step up and take action after its annual environmental performance reports for water companies highlighted an increase in pollution incidents and decrease in compliance with environmental permits for sewage discharges. The deterioration in performance by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water has led to the company being […]

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