The Sunday Times December 22 2019, 12:01am.

Our finest waterways are becoming unusable, and not one prosecution is in progress over fouling last year.

Water companies are polluting some of Britain’s most picturesque rivers, from the Windrush in the Cotswolds to the Aire in Yorkshire, without facing a penalty for the vast majority of offences. The Mole in Surrey, the Itchen in Hampshire and the Dearne in South Yorkshire are among those with the most sewage discharges in 2018, according to a database obtained by The Sunday Times. Of 1,863 unlawful pollution incidents by water companies in rivers in England last year, 1,423 were registered as having no further action taken or no action recorded. There are 36 active investigations, but not one prosecution, for 2018.  The World Wide Fund for Nature has warned that rivers are being used as “open sewers”.’ Material from August 2019

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