All UK fresh water bodies are above the legal pollution limit

The river & lake health assessments which have produced these latest findings were carried out by the Environment Agency.

The last survey which was carried out in 2016 found that only 14% of the UK water bodies were at the right standard and now none are.

Many of the substances are hazardous and are linked to old mining works as well as pollution runoff from urban practices. What is very concerning is that the chemical condition of our fresh water is now rated at 0% compared to 97% chemically healthy in 2016. Many chemicals bioaccumulate and have been found in predators which will then impact the food chain.

For more information on this story, check out the following article:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/25/england-rivers-polluted-beyond-legal-limits