UK River Report #12: From Surfers' Dismay at Sewage Discharge, to our National Parks' Demonstrable Decline and the Feigned Integrity of Private Water

Welcome back dear reader to the twelfth installment of the UK River Report, marking one year of writing this blog. Despite observing a few small wins during this time, with an occasionally optimistic sense of change, I cannot help but notice a feeling of déjà vu, as I find myself repeating the same narrative as when I began. The illegal discharge of sewage into our waterways remains rife, with even our national parks, which many would believe exhibit our most pristine environments, suffering the consequences. Meanwhile, water companies continue to demonstrate an unwillingness to accept responsibility for their customers and the environment, with promising claims of change amounting to nothing but greenwashing, while evidence of their immorality, and at times lawlessness, appears to be met with limited government response.

Surfing competition shock:

In a competition first, organisers of the English Interclub Surfing Championships in Porthtowan, Cornwall, were forced to cancel the event as a result of sewage discharge, with the local council having red-flagged the beach in response to an activated storm overflow managed by South West Water [1, 2].

Despite South West Water's apparent commitment to tackling these overflows, there is mounting doubt as to whether this discharge was at all legal, for water companies are only permitted to flush their systems under extraordinary conditions, such as heavy rainfall [1, 2]. Given the lack of such circumstances, described by Ben Powis, chief executive at Surfing England, as a 'slightly rainy September day', and with South West Water already responsible for over 2000 sewage discharges on dry days in the first half of this year, it is more than likely the company acted illegally [1]. 

The fact sewage pollution continues to disrupt access to our waters highlights the need for greater commitments toward the improvement of water quality, in conjunction with broadening public access to nature [3-5]. Roaming laws remain restricted to just 8% of England, while access to blue spaces is similarly lacking, for only 3.4% of England's rivers have uncontested public right of navigation [4]. 

National park negligence:

The results of the South Downs National Park's Water in the Park report underscore the disastrous state of waterways across the South of England, with only 10% found to have a good ecological status [6]. In failing to support wildlife, driven by a combination of sewage discharge, pesticides and road pollution, it demonstrates the lacklustre efforts of those parties involved, while highlighting the national park's call for a united response in addressing issues of water quality and management, and the necessity to reach long-term solutions [6, 7]. 

This is a particularly pressing concern when considering the wider conditions of waterways in the UK's national parks, which ought to be the cleanest and most protected [8]. Since their inception under Clement Attlee's Labour government, national parks have been unable to respond to the intensification of agriculture, with the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides now widespread [9]. Furthermore, current UK law dictates that sewage works serving fewer than 2000 people, such as the majority of those within national parks, are not legally required to use secondary or advanced treatments, to remove organic matter, offering only basic water treatment [8, 10]. 

Therefore, it is unsurprising — though no less devastating — that a 2025 report by the Campaign for National Parks and the Rivers Trust found that sewage overflows in national parks are discharging at a rate twice that of outside these protected areas, with half of the rivers in national parks failing to meet a good ecological status, as required by law [8, 10]. Similarly, in 2024 only 26% of SSSIs within England's national parks were deemed to be in a 'favourable condition', compared with 38% across England as a whole [9, 11]. 

It is evident that the management of our national parks needs reform. Even if only to improve human health and wellbeing, given visits totalling approximately 100 million each year, the purpose of national parks must be redefined [9]. In 2019, the government-commissioned Landscape Review proposed: 'Recover, conserve and enhance natural beauty, biodiversity and natural capital, and cultural heritage' [9, 12]. Yet no meaningful action has taken place, with the last Conservative government failing to implement the review's recommendations, whilst boards for national parks remain bloated and ineffective, described as 'pale, male and stale' [9]. 

It is painfully clear the change which ought to occur, and which is already the case in the Republic of Ireland. Simply, for national parks 'to protect and conserve nature for future generations' [9]. 

Disingenuous debt dealings:

Returning to the financial uncertainty of Thames Water, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced to creditors a preference for 'a sustainable, market-based solution', although the government is preparing for several eventualities, including applying for special administration [13]. Since then, a consortium of creditors, holding much of the company's debts, are looking for approval by Ofwat of its rescue plan [14]. Without mentioning how much of a financial contribution the consortium will make; this plan consists of approximately £20.5 billion of funding sourced from consumers and yet will see fewer improvement projects than under a deal proposed by Ofwat [14]. 

The government's apparent desire to avoid renationalising Thames Water comes as English water firms continue to demonstrate their blatant disregard for customers and the environment, spending £16.6 million on legal action against environmental breaches such as illegal sewage spills, when this could have been invested in improving critical infrastructure many of them have pledged to improve [15, 16]. 

At the top of the list is of course Thames Water, suggesting, at best, the government's naivety to the situation, and their wilful ignorance at worst [15]. Furthermore, since South West Water has been recently taken to court over an outbreak of cryptosporidium in Devon last year, leaving over 140 people infected, this will no doubt add to these costs [17]. 

Circumstances are not helped by the Environment Agency's incompetence, found to have a history of relying on evidence and updates provided by water companies — often the very perpetrators of pollution [18]. A damning notation when the Environment Agency is responsible for holding these very water companies to account. 

In 2024 alone, it failed to visit nearly a third of 100 water industry incidents that were ultimately found to have posed a serious threat to the environment or human health, while also downgrading the environmental impact of over 1000 incidents initially considered to be potentially serious, without verification [18]. Given its issues of staff shortages to handle inspections and as self-reporting by water companies remains rife, the Environment Agency is clearly unable to function as an effective watchdog [18, 19].

Ofwat is to be abolished — why not the Environment Agency too? [20]. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this month's issue of the UK River Report. I hope you found it informative. If you would like to get involved and raise awareness of river pollution in your area, please head over to the UK River Report website and check under the 'Get Involved' page to complete our survey, or feel free to get in touch via the 'Contact' page, if you feel you have more to discuss than the survey can offer. 

With hope for the future,

Federico 

References:

1. Silver J. Surf Contest Cancellation due to Sewage 'a first'. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 September 22]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwywx7xlwgxo

2. Young L. Surf Competition Cancelled due to Water Pollution. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 September 22]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyqgxz55eqo

3. Johnson E. Campaign for River to Achieve Bathing Status. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 September 23]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx23q5eqwwno

4. Horton H. Right to Swim and Wild Camp in England Should be Enshrined in Law, Labour MPs Say. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 September 23]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/15/right-to-swim-and-wild-camp-in-england-should-be-enshrined-in-law-labour-mps-say

5. Drew H, Kelly JW. Call for Targets to Make Capital's Rivers Swimmable. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 September 26]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly66nlz0gmo

6. Lancaster C. Waterways Failing to Support Wildlife, Report Finds. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 September 24]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c864321n155o

7. Laville S. England’s Toxic Road Runoff Pollution Being Ignored, MPs Told. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 September 24]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/04/englands-road-runoff-pollution-problem-being-ignored-mps-told

8. Carrington D. Revealed: River Pollution Twice as Bad Inside National Parks as Outside Them. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 September 25]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/16/sewage-overflow-national-parks-england-wales-rivers-lakes

9. Carrington D. How National Parks Failed Nature – and How to Fix Them. The Guardian; 2024. [cited 2025 September 28]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/13/how-national-parks-failed-nature-and-how-to-fix-them

10. Campaign for National Parks, The Rivers Trust. National Parks Rivers at Risk Report. Campaign for National Parks; 2025. [cited 2025 September 25]. Available from: https://www.cnp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/RiverAtRisk_Report_2025_FINAL.pdf 

11. Campaign for National Parks. National Parks Health Check Report Nature Recovery. Campaign for National Parks; 2024. [cited 2025 September 26]. Available from: https://www.cnp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/National-Parks-Health-Check-Report-Nature-Recovery-2024.pdf

12. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. Landscapes Review: National Parks and AONBs. GOV.UK; 2019. [cited 2025 September 29]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/designated-landscapes-national-parks-and-aonbs-2018-review

13. Almeida L. Reeves Says Thames Water Should Find ‘market-based solution’. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 September 26]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/01/rachel-reeves-thames-water-creditors

14. Isaac A. Thames Water to do Fewer Improvement Projects Under Lenders’ New Rescue Plan. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 September 26]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/03/creditors-set-out-20bn-plan-to-save-thames-water

15. Horton H. English Water Firms Spend £16.6m on Legal Fees Over Environmental Breaches. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 September 26]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/02/english-water-firms-spend-166m-on-legal-fees-over-environmental-breaches

16. Laville S. Water Industry Promises £22bn of Environmental Investment, Funded by Rising Bills. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 September 26]. Available from:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/29/water-industry-promises-22bn-of-environmental-investment-funded-by-rising-bills

17. Horton H. South West Water Taken to Court Over Cryptosporidium Outbreak in Devon. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 September 27]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/07/south-west-water-taken-to-court-over-cryptosporidium-outbreak-in-devon     

18. Fisher J. Environment Agency Failed to Visit Serious Pollution Incidents, Files Show. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 September 27]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4jk8njpngo

19. Fisher J. Thousands of River Pollution Tests Cancelled Because of Staff Shortages. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 September 27]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24xy8zgp4o

20. Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, The Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP. Ofwat to be Abolished in Biggest Overhaul of Water Since Privatisation. GOV.UK; 2025. [cited 2025 September 28]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofwat-to-be-abolished-in-biggest-overhaul-of-water-since-privatisation