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How to save England’s rivers

From our UK edition

In the rural shires of England, discontent has been quietly, yet steadily growing. Following years of complaints about declining river health, the problem has exploded into the public consciousness, with one report, released in September, revealing that only 16 per cent of English rivers were in ‘good ecological health’. It came just months after BBC Panorama revealed that some water companies were illegally discharging sewage into rivers outside of their regulatory permits. How can we save England’s rivers? That was the question at the top of the invitation as The Spectator gathered a panel of politicians, conservationists and industry figures for its first dinner of the 2021 Conservative party conference.

Time is running out to fix England’s water system

From our UK edition

What is the state of England’s drainage infrastructure? According to one recent report, not good – with overflow from Britain’s dated sewage systems blamed for causing severe pollution in many of England’s rivers. Now a coalition of conservationists, river enthusiasts (including wild swimmers, fishermen and some well-known figures such as the singer Feargal Sharkey) and stakeholders are calling for action to improve the state of the water system and protect England’s rivers for the future. But what could be done about the problem?