Data from the Environment Agency (EA) shows that not a single surface waterway in the country meets safety standards for chemical pollution.
The EA data also revealed that only 14.3% of England’s rivers, lakes and estuaries achieved good ecological status.
The data is from a 2025 dataset under the Water Framework Directive Regulations (WFDR), retained EU legislation that sets a range of standards covering wildlife, water quality and physical habitat.
The dataset covers a six year period and when previously published in 2019 the figure was 16.3%. However, the EA stressed that this year’s data could not be directly compared with 2019 because the EU has introduce more stringent methods for monitoring water quality.
Surface water bodies are classified as high, good, moderate, poor or bad. This classification is based on several elements, including aquatic species, water temperature, oxygen levels, and the health of physical habitats like riverbanks. Under the WFDR’s strict “one-out, all-out...