The 132 worst rivers in England for pollution – and the four that are clean

Precious chalk streams and rivers polluted by mining are among the water bodies that have been branded the worst in England following six years of extensive research by the Environment Agency (EA). On Thursday the EA published its latest classifications for England’s 4,658 surface water bodies, which includes rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwater. These water bodies are split into five categories: high, good, moderate, poor or bad. Just 14.3 per cent were found to be at least good ecological health, while none were found to be in good chemical health. These classifications are published every six years and are based on a range of factors, including fish and invertebrate populations, as well as nutrient and chemical pollution. Rivers are broken down into individual sections based on physical factors, for example when they are joined by a large tributary. Of the 3,772 river sections classified by the EA, 132 (three per cent) were found to be in the worst possible condition, meaning its ecosystems are severely damaged and fail to support biodiversity. A number of chalk streams are on the list, including the Gypsey Race in Yorkshire, Chalk Beck in Cumbria and Devils Brook in Dorset. Chalk streams are a rare type of river that rise from underground springs in landscapes with chalk bedrock. There are only 210 chalk streams globally and 85 per cent of them are in England. Chalk acts as a purifier meaning the water should be exceptionally clean, but many have become badly polluted. Feargal Sharkey, the former Undertones front man who is a passionate defender of chalk steams, told The i Paper “you can see the degradation” in England’s rare rivers. “When it comes to our chalk streams some of these that are not meeting the good ecological status are now nothing more than grassy ditches running through the open countryside,” he said. A stretch of the River Tees at its source in the North Pennines is one of just four stretches of water classified as high for good ecological health (Photo: Getty) Many of the rivers classified as bad will be suffering due to sewage pollution, such as the River Wandle, a tributary of the Thames in south London. However, others are failing due to other reasons such as the Ashfoldshide Beck in North Yorkshire, which is badly polluted with heavy metals due to historic lead mining. The East and West Fen Drains in Lincolnshire are also on the list, artificial waterways that are heavily polluted due to agriculture. Just four sections of river achieved the highest possible ecological standard, including Barrow Burn and Ridless Burn, two streams within Northumberland National Park. A stretch of the River Tees at its source in the North Pennines was also classified as high, as well as a stretch of the River Till from its source in Northumberland.