UK River Report #13: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
- Federico White
- Oct 31
- 6 min read
Welcome back dear reader to the thirteenth installment of the UK River Report. Following on from the 20th anniversary of World Rivers Day 2025 celebrating the value of our waterways, this month's post shall outline a varied range of challenges and improvements facing UK rivers, with the obstacles most often outweighing any progress [1]. From programmes in Yorkshire and Kent, improving fish migration and reducing discharge from outdated septic tanks respectively, Red Tractor's exposed greenwashing and historic legal action on behalf of the Wye, while returning to the ever-atrocious track record of England's waterways.
River Rejuvenation:
Beginning on a brighter note, there have been several developments intent on improving the quality of our rivers. Through the Great Yorkshire Rivers partnership led by the Environment Agency, the Rivers Trust and Yorkshire Water, waterways across the county have been gradually cleared of physical obstacles — the legacy of the region's industrial past — to benefit fish migration and wider biodiversity improvements [2]. Part of a £21 million, five-year programme to reconnect 310 miles of Yorkshire's waterways, this is set to build upon prior successes in the area, with related clearance work over the past two decades enabling the return of Atlantic salmon to the River Don, found to be breeding there for the first time in over 200 years [2, 3].
Separately, old or poorly performing septic tanks are being replaced for free through a scheme made available to households within the River Stour catchment area, central Kent [4]. Delivered by National Rivers Consortium, responsible for installing thousands of septic tanks throughout England, alongside Ashford Borough Council and Canterbury City Council, the scheme aims to facilitate meaningful reductions in nutrient runoff sourced from outdated systems, responsible for excess nitrogen and phosphorus discharges, with a focus on protecting the Stodmarsh SSSI [4, 5].
Red Tractor's Reckoning:
Have you ever purchased a product with the Red Tractor quality mark? Had you, like myself, assumed this afforded a degree of environmental merit? Alas, this illusion has been shattered, as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint by River Action of the scheme's 'greenwashing', banning the ad first aired in 2021 [6].
While Red Tractor reject the ASA's decision, arguing the scheme focuses on animal welfare, and not environmental protection, this evidently undermines the rigorous standards they promote on their own website, with specific claims that its growers 'respect the environment and farm in a way that minimises adverse effects on flora/fauna' [6, 7]. Furthermore, a 2020 Environment Agency report into the environmental performance of Red Tractor assured farms found that between 2014-2019, these farms were responsible for 62% of the most critical pollution incidents [8].
Given that agricultural pollution is responsible for 40% of water bodies failing to achieve good ecological health, Red Tractor ought to greatly improve the clarity of their messaging going forward, particularly to consumers looking to support sustainable agriculture [9]. Otherwise, this may continue to mislead customers and suppliers alike [6, 10].
Record-breaking environmental lawsuit:
From an initial claim in the summer of 2024 against Avara Foods Limited, its subsidiary Freemans of Newent and its 50% shareholder Cargill plc, alleging their responsibility for major pollution on the River Wye, this has since become the largest legal claim over environmental pollution in the UK [11, 12].
Seeking substantial damages from Avara Foods Limited, Freemans of Newent, and now Welsh Water for the extensive pollution of the Wye, Usk and Lugg, 3943 residents and business owners are being represented in the lawsuit filed at the High Court, breaking records for its number of claimants, the geographical scale of damage and the total damages claimed [12, 13]. While these companies have only responded to the claim to deny any allegations of wrongdoing, the claimants are also looking for court-ordered remedial action to clean up the rivers [12, 13].
Let us hope for the success of this case, and for the possibility that this may set a precedent for similar action against polluting companies throughout the UK.
Water company ratings down the drain:
Thames Water's continued disregard for their responsibilities to consumers and the environment only emphasises its persistently troubled existence. Despite ranking as England's worst supplier in the 2024/25, among a sordid party of seven other water companies rated by the Environment Agency as poor and needing improvement (the lowest combined rating on record), the company's creditors have announced that under their rescue plan, 'a full return to legal, regulatory and environmental compliance' would not be completed until at least 2035-40 [14, 15].
Simply put, this degree of leniency requested is tone-deaf and offensive, and would allow for potentially unchecked sewage levels for at least a decade [15]. Yet, despite this downward spiral in the environmental performance of England's water companies, with Ofwat enforcing refunds to customers worth £260 million, the Competitions and Markets authority have provisionally allowed five water companies a 3% average increase in bills over the next five years, worth an additional £560 million [16, 17].
It is admonishable how these companies can claim the need to increase customers' bills to meet environmental standards, and for the regulators to accept this as such, when their executives and shareholders continue to pocket bonuses and dividends worth billions [18, 19].
Furthermore, as the government celebrates proposals of 'new, automatic and tougher penalties for water companies', via the Environment Agency using civil standards of proof over the higher criminal standard for minor to moderate environmental offences, with a potential cap of either £350,000 or £500,000, James Wallace, CEO of River Action, has rightly described these fines as 'pocket change' [20, 21].
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. World Rivers Day. World Rivers Day. World Rivers Day; 2025. [cited 2025 October 24]. Available from: https://worldriversday.com
2. BBC. Rivers Funding Boost to Help Fish Migration. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 October 25]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3y7ywp2d4o
3. Dale T. Salmon Breed in River for First Time in 200 Years. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 October 25]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly7gqx2zw0o
4. Murphy C. Septic Tank Scheme Aims to Protect Rivers. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 October 27]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5ye7pe5l77o
5. National Rivers Consortium. Delivering Nutrient Neutrality. National Rivers Consortium; 2025. [cited 2025 October 27]. Available from: https://nationalriversconsortium.com/
6. Stallard E. Red Tractor Ad Banned for Misleading Environmental Claims. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 October 28]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2lmnvj3n5o
7. Red Tractor. Great British Food we can all be Proud of. Red Tractor; 2025. [cited 2025 October 28]. Available from: https://redtractor.org.uk
8. Environment & Business Agriculture Team – Environment Agency. Assessment of the Environmental Performance of Red Tractor Assured Farms. Environment Agency; 2020. [cited 2025 October 28]. Available from:
9. Environmental Audit Committee. Water Quality in Rivers. House of Commons; 2022. [cited 2025 October 28]. Available from:
10. Laville S. Watchdog Rules Red Tractor Exaggerated its Environmental Standards. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 October 28]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/15/watchdog-rules-red-tractor-exaggerated-environmental-standards
11. Giddings A. Lawyers Set Out River Wye Pollution Claim. BBC; 2024. [cited 2025 October 29]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw4y77wyz18o
12. Messenger S. Thousands Join Biggest-Ever UK Environmental Lawsuit Over River Pollution. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 October 29]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crrj4qqqy7po
13. Laville S. Thousands Take Legal Action Over ‘widespread pollution’ of Three UK Rivers. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 October 29]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/08/thousands-take-legal-action-widespread-pollution-three-rivers-in-england-wales
14. Horton H. Thames Water Ranked Worst Supplier in England as Firms’ Ratings Hit Record Low. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 October 30]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/23/english-water-ratings-record-low-sewage-pollution
15. Jolly J. Thames Water Creditors Ask for up to 15 Years’ Leniency From River Pollution Rules. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 October 30]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/02/thames-water-lenders-submit-new-rescue-plan-to-stave-off-collapse
16. Poynting M, Fisher J. Water Companies Told to Refund £260m to Customers for Poor Performance. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 October 30]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjrymnx1e8o
17. Jolly J, H Horton. Millions in England Face Higher Water Bills After Regulator Backs More Price Rises. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 October 30]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/09/millions-of-households-face-jump-in-water-bills-after-regulator-backs-more-price-rises
18. Jolly J. Water Chiefs’ Pay Rises to Average of £1.1m Despite Ban on Bonuses and Outrage Over Pollution. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 October 31]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/26/water-chiefs-pay-rises-england-wales-ban-bonuses-sewage
19. Laville S. England's Privatised Water Firms Paid £57bn in Dividends Since 1991. The Guardian; 2020. [cited 2025 October 31]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/01/england-privatised-water-firms-dividends-shareholders
20. Horton H. Water Firms in England Could Face Harsher Sewage Fines Under New Environment Agency Powers. The Guardian; 2025. [cited 2025 October 31]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/21/water-firms-england-sewage-fines-environment-agency
21. Fisher J. Fining Firms for Sewage Spills will get 'quicker and easier', Says Government. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 October 31]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gz7xyr2g7o
Interesting read as always. Thank you.