Clean Water Protesters 'Prepared to go to Prison' as they Launch new Action and Urge Labour to Review 'Failing, Greedy' System
England remains the only country in the world with an entirely privatised water system, so organisers of an
upcoming 'March For Clean Water' point out Brits should be entitled to "expect investment, integrity and world-leading advancement" under this unique approach.
But, no. Providers consistently break the law, illegally dumping sewage into our waters over
1,000 times a day last year.
These same firms have cost the British taxpayer
£78 billion if looked at through the lens of shareholder dividends paid out since privatisation. Meanwhile, prosecutions for breaking the law clawed back barely
£150 million in fines over the last decade.
A bill for a
similar amount was generated on Tuesday. Water companies were ordered to return £158 million to customers via lower bills next year for missing pollution and leaks targets.
Related reading: This Innovative Proposal Could Clean Up our Rivers - So Why is Whitehall Ignoring it?
Our seas and rivers are no longer safe for swimming with the Government's health security agency
warning that ever-increasing levels of E-coli can cause kidney and liver damage to humans.
At one swim-site in Devon, E-coli levels this summer were found to be
twenty times higher than safe levels. In this escalating ecological emergency, animals are impacted most severely first: fish deaths have increased by
176% in the last year, from 26,690 in 2020-2021 to 116,135 in 2023-2024.
A 'Human River' Will Flood the Streets
Water is our lifeblood. That's why tens of thousands of people are expected to march on parliament on November 3. All wearing blue, a human river - this one not polluted - will flood the streets of central London.
A coalition including River Action, Greenpeace and Surfers Against Sewage is calling for the new Government to enforce existing laws and comprehensively review our entire water infrastructure, a failing greedy system that continues to allow pollution for profit.
Related reading: 'The Government is Looking the Other Way as Our Rivers Are Being Poisoned'
It's a reasonable and modest ask of any Government but water was privatised 35 years ago and Keir Starmer is the tenth Prime Minister to enter office across that time-frame.
Deceptively positive-sounding new legislation was introduced to parliament last month that would theoretically give regulators powers to ban bonuses for water company CEOs who fail to meet standards. However, no new environmental standards have yet been decided by the regulator, Ofwat.
Last year, Liv Garfield of Severn Trent took a £584,000 bonus despite her company having been fined £2 million for dumping sewage. The firm scored highly on the Environment Agency's environment rankings despite taking this human waste spillage into account.
Extreme Negligence Not 'Extremist' Behaviour
Those marching on parliament are taking nothing for granted, determined to apply pressure until true accountability is achieved.
Earlier this month the Labour leader dismissed some environmental activists as
"finger wagging extremists" threatening the economy. But the London march will be a peaceful protest, and there is nothing extremist about holding corporate water companies to account when they are physically depositing raw excrement into our waters at taxpayers' and customers' expense, all while wringing dry our most precious natural resource.
Related reading: Sewage No-Go Zones: Eight Out of Ten Brits 'Not Comfortable' Swimming in UK Waters
March organisers insist their demonstration will be legal and have liaised with police and local authorities. However, some have said they are prepared to risk prison in their wider campaign.
There does remain a level of legal ambiguity over marches in central London, due to the new government opting to appeal the High Court's decision to throw out the former government's recent legislation redefining disruptive protest.
Solving Inaction T
upcoming 'March For Clean Water' point out Brits should be entitled to "expect investment, integrity and world-leading advancement" under this unique approach.
But, no. Providers consistently break the law, illegally dumping sewage into our waters over
1,000 times a day last year.
These same firms have cost the British taxpayer
£78 billion if looked at through the lens of shareholder dividends paid out since privatisation. Meanwhile, prosecutions for breaking the law clawed back barely
£150 million in fines over the last decade.
A bill for a
similar amount was generated on Tuesday. Water companies were ordered to return £158 million to customers via lower bills next year for missing pollution and leaks targets.
Related reading: This Innovative Proposal Could Clean Up our Rivers - So Why is Whitehall Ignoring it?
Our seas and rivers are no longer safe for swimming with the Government's health security agency
warning that ever-increasing levels of E-coli can cause kidney and liver damage to humans.
At one swim-site in Devon, E-coli levels this summer were found to be
twenty times higher than safe levels. In this escalating ecological emergency, animals are impacted most severely first: fish deaths have increased by
176% in the last year, from 26,690 in 2020-2021 to 116,135 in 2023-2024.
A 'Human River' Will Flood the Streets
Water is our lifeblood. That's why tens of thousands of people are expected to march on parliament on November 3. All wearing blue, a human river - this one not polluted - will flood the streets of central London.
A coalition including River Action, Greenpeace and Surfers Against Sewage is calling for the new Government to enforce existing laws and comprehensively review our entire water infrastructure, a failing greedy system that continues to allow pollution for profit.
Related reading: 'The Government is Looking the Other Way as Our Rivers Are Being Poisoned'
It's a reasonable and modest ask of any Government but water was privatised 35 years ago and Keir Starmer is the tenth Prime Minister to enter office across that time-frame.
Deceptively positive-sounding new legislation was introduced to parliament last month that would theoretically give regulators powers to ban bonuses for water company CEOs who fail to meet standards. However, no new environmental standards have yet been decided by the regulator, Ofwat.
Last year, Liv Garfield of Severn Trent took a £584,000 bonus despite her company having been fined £2 million for dumping sewage. The firm scored highly on the Environment Agency's environment rankings despite taking this human waste spillage into account.
Extreme Negligence Not 'Extremist' Behaviour
Those marching on parliament are taking nothing for granted, determined to apply pressure until true accountability is achieved.
Earlier this month the Labour leader dismissed some environmental activists as
"finger wagging extremists" threatening the economy. But the London march will be a peaceful protest, and there is nothing extremist about holding corporate water companies to account when they are physically depositing raw excrement into our waters at taxpayers' and customers' expense, all while wringing dry our most precious natural resource.
Related reading: Sewage No-Go Zones: Eight Out of Ten Brits 'Not Comfortable' Swimming in UK Waters
March organisers insist their demonstration will be legal and have liaised with police and local authorities. However, some have said they are prepared to risk prison in their wider campaign.
There does remain a level of legal ambiguity over marches in central London, due to the new government opting to appeal the High Court's decision to throw out the former government's recent legislation redefining disruptive protest.
Solving Inaction T
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