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Every body of water in England polluted with toxic chemicals, report shows
A stark new assessment has revealed that a mere 14 per cent of England's rivers, lakes, and coastal waters are currently in good ecological health. The findings come from the Environment Agency's first update in six years, conducted under retained EU legislation governing water quality. This comprehensive evaluation scrutinised 4,658 of the country's rivers, lakes, estuaries, canals, and coastal waters, measuring their health against a range of standards including wildlife populations, overall water quality, and the condition of physical habitats. The report indicates that just 14.3 per cent of surface water bodies achieved an overall good ecological status in 2025, with widespread issues attributed to sewage spills, agricultural nutrient runoff, and pollutants emanating from urban areas and roads, such as litter, petrol, and garden pesticides. Alarmingly, only 15 per cent of rivers meet or exceed good ecological status, according to the figures. They also reveal England’s water bodies are falling far short of the Government target to restore 75% to good ecological status by 2027. In response to the latest data campaigners warned “nothing has changed” despite repeated Government promises, and said England’s rivers were among the filthiest in Europe, poisoned by sewage and industrial-scale agriculture. The 2025 figures are...
