Thousands march in London against water pollution

Several thousand people are marching in London on Sunday at the call of NGOs to demand more action from the public authorities against water pollution, a phenomenon which has reached significant proportions in the United Kingdom.

The participants in this “Clean Water March” – around 15,000 according to the organizers – unfurled banners reading “We are drowning in s….” and called on the government to “stop poisoning Britain's rivers”.

Protesters take part in a “Clean Water March” calling on the government to “end the poisoning of Britain's waters”, on November 3, 2024 in London © AFP – BENJAMIN CREMEL

The British water sector, privatized in 1989, is in crisis due to underinvestment in a sewerage system that dates back largely to the Victorian era.

Its companies are particularly criticized for their discharges of wastewater into the environment, resulting in pollution of the coastline and waterways.

Authorities have been under pressure to address the issue for years, and companies have already been fined. The Labour government introduced a bill in September to toughen penalties for water company executives.

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“It's disgusting to see what has happened to our water since the companies were privatised,” Jenny Linford, a 61-year-old food writer who came to the protest, told AFP.

“We're here because we want to defend water… To tell politicians 'please take action',” she added, saying the problem was one of the reasons the Conservative Party lost the general election in July.

“When you let agricultural water, industrial waste or plastic pollution flow into rivers, not only do you kill the river and everything in it, but that waste flows into our oceans,” Lewis Pugh, a British-South African swimmer known for his extreme performances and an ocean defender, told AFP.

Protesters take part in a “Clean Water March” calling on the government to “put an end to the poisoning of British waters”, on November 3, 2024 in London © AFP – BENJAMIN CREMEL

The demonstrators are demanding in particular a reform of the sector regulator, Ofwat, which “has totally failed in its mission to ensure that water companies are accountable”, declared the British naturalist and presenter Chris Packham presenter in the procession, gathered at the call of organizations such as River Action and Greenpeace.

“Taking care of our environment is an investment in our future for all”, he declared on Times radio.

The professional organization of water companies, Water UK, reacted in a press release, recognizing that the current system “does not work” and also accusing the regulator.

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