By AFP - Agence France Presse
Thousands take to the streets of London demanding cleaner water
Thousands of people marched through central London on Sunday, demanding action to clean up Britain's rivers and seas.
Environmental activist and singer Feargal Sharkey and Fast Show comedian Paul Whitehouse were among those taking part in the March for Clean Water, supported by groups such as Greenpeace, Wildlife Trusts, and British Rowing.
“Who likes dirty rivers? I don't. Lots of people love using rivers and waterways, and they're being threatened by agricultural pollution and water companies,” said Whitehouse, star of the UK hit show ‘Gone Fishing.’
The protesters are demanding reviews of water regulator Ofwat and the Environment Agency, as well as tougher enforcement for water companies that break existing pollution rules.
River Action said there were around 15,000 protesters who were encouraged to dress in blue and bring a sample from a water body close to them.
Many wore elaborate costumes, while others held placards reading “tides, not turds,” “cut the crap,” and “water for life.”
Jenny Linford, a 61-year-old food writer, told AFP that it was “disgusting what has happened to our water since the water companies were privatized.”
“It's obscene that Britain's rivers, lakes, and seas are receiving more sewage.
“We're here because we want to speak up for water... and say to politicians 'please act,'” she said, adding that the issue was a factor in the Conservative Party's defeat in July's election.
Last month, the new Labour government set out legislation that will give regulators powers to issue tougher penalties, including prison sentences, for polluting water companies and their executives.
Lewis Pugh, an endurance swimmer and oceans campaigner, told AFP that the march was “an opportunity to say to the government that we need them to sort out what is happening to our rivers.”
“When you allow agricultural run-off to go into rivers, or industrial waste or plastic pollution to go into rivers, you not only kill the river and everything in it, but you also go into our oceans and do the same thing,” he added.
Water UK, the sector's trade association, acknowledged that the current system “isn't working.”
“It's too complicated, too slow, and it's not delivering results for people or the environment,” said a spokesperson.
“We can no longer put off upgrading and expanding vital infrastructure, and we need Ofwat to reconsider its approach,” he added.
Around 100 protesters attended a similar march in Belfast, Northern Ireland's capital.
Siobhan Keegan, who swims at Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, said she had been unable to “dive” into the lake for the past two summers because of the build-up of bacteria.
“If we don't act now, it will be too late for future generations,” he warned.
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