LONDON: Thousands of people marched through central London on Sunday demanding urgent action to clean up Britain’s rivers and seas.
The protest march, dubbed “The March for Clean Water,” saw an estimated 15,000 participants rallying for improved water quality and accountability from water companies.
Among the prominent figures supporting the cause were environmental activist and musician Feargal Sharkey, as well as adventurer Bear Grylls. The march received backing from various environmental organizations, including Greenpeace, the Wildlife Trusts, and British Rowing, all advocating for stronger regulatory measures against water pollution.
Demonstrators were encouraged to wear blue and to bring samples from bodies of water that hold personal significance to them. Many attendees donned creative costumes and carried signs with messages such as “tides not turds,” “cut the crap,” and “water for life,” emphasizing their commitment to the cause.
Jenny Linford, a 61-year-old food writer, expressed her outrage over the deteriorating condition of the UK’s waterways, particularly since the privatization of water companies.
“It’s absolutely obscene that Britain’s rivers and lakes and seas are having more sewage pumped into them. We’re here because we want to speak up for water… and just say to politicians ‘please act’,” she said.
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She maintained that the water pollution issue contributed to the Conservative Party’s electoral defeat in July.
The newly elected Labour government recently proposed legislation granting regulators the authority to impose harsher penalties on polluting water companies and their executives, including potential prison sentences. This legislative move reflects a growing recognition of the urgent need for reform in water management.
Endurance swimmer and ocean advocate Lewis Pugh joined the march, emphasizing the critical nature of the issue. “When you allow agricultural runoff to go into rivers, or industrial waste or plastic pollution to go into rivers, not only do you kill the river and everything in it, but it goes into our oceans and does exactly the same thing,” he said.
