Majority of England's rivers and lakes fail new environmental review
A comprehensive assessment of England's waterways is the first in six years and shows little improvement.
Coverage by Political Leaning
See how different sides of the spectrum reported this story
Notable Quotes
"The figures underline the need for wholesale change across the water sector."
— Angela Eagle , Politician
"There's a lot of poo that comes out of the chickens."
— Erica Popplewell , Activist
"Too many water bodies were still not achieving the standards we want to see."
— Alan Lovell , Executive
"The scheme was not fit for purpose."
— Prof Penny Johnes , Academic
Key People
Alan Lovell is the chair of the Environment Agency.
Farming minister monitoring developments in the Middle East.
Erica Popplewell is associated with the campaign group River Action.
Prof Penny Johnes is a leading water quality scientist at the University of Bristol.
Locations
All Coverage
A comprehensive assessment of England's waterways is the first in six years and shows little improvement.
Similar Stories
Related coverage based on topic and tags
'I have never seen the pond so low in 17 years'
James Herd, who works for Surrey Wildlife Trust, says everyone needs to prepare for extreme weather.
August 17, 2026 at 05:01 AMEurope's scorched landscapes seen from space after summer heatwaves
BBC Verify examines the impact of drought and extreme heat on western European rivers, fields and mountains.
August 15, 2026 at 05:01 AMBrazil's President Lula hails oil discovery near Amazon river
Environmentalists have heavily criticised the exploratory drilling in the sea off the mouth of the Amazon.
August 18, 2026 at 01:13 PMHosepipe ban in force for millions of households - is your area affected?
More than eight million households have been placed under hosepipe bans - which has raised questions about how effectively water resources are being managed.
July 15, 2026 at 05:08 AM'Squashed poo' a sign of water voles' success
Signs suggest the water vole population on the Hogsmill River in Surrey has been reestablished.
August 14, 2026 at 04:57 AMEngland set to eliminate hepatitis C
England is on track to become one of the first countries in the world to eliminate hepatitis C, a dangerous virus that attacks the liver, figures show.
August 10, 2026 at 11:40 PM