TDEG’s Rivers & Brooks group wants to ensure that environmental standards are maintained and water pollution is reduced. We need to influence national policies and legislation.
This is a big ask of a small local group and our individual members. But there are ways to make our voices heard. Joining forces with other campaigning groups is one way of taking action. If we join together to lobby our political representatives they will be clear how many of us share these concerns.
On this page, we intend to share the `calls to action` from other groups who share our aims to protect and enhance our waterways. These ‘calls to action’ might be signing a national petition or sending a letter to our local MP or relevant government agencies.
Read on to learn more about some of the active campaigns relevant to water issues.
Together we can make a difference.
Independent Water Commission
UPDATE – The Independent Water Commission published its report in July 2025 with over 80 recommendations. You can read the full report here. There is also a useful overview from the Rivers Trust here.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed evidence to the IWC.
The Independent Water Commission was launched by the government in response to public pressure following the March for Clean Water in November 2025 (which some of our members attended). The Commission is undertaking a much-needed review of the whole water sector.
The national campaigning group, River Action UK, has provided a useful toolkit to help people respond to this review. You can read more here to learn more about their campaign.
The Commission is currently consulting with the public, to inform their review through a ‘call for evidence‘. We are asking all our members to respond to this survey personally. It is basically a Q&A survey, completed on line. It looks a bit daunting – but you don’t have to answer every question. You will also have your own personal views about some of the questions asked. But at the very least, we ask that all our TDEG members refer to the following three issues in their survey responses:
- Our concern that Severn Trent Water was permitted to release untreated sewage into Tideswell Brook on over 125 separate occasions in 2023 (according to their own sewage data). This is well beyond exceptional circumstances. and suggests our local sewage treatment plant is not fit for purpose.
- Our concern that current environmental standards and legislation do not cover pharmaceutical pollution at all. A recent University of York research study confirms the high level of pharmaceutical pollution in Tideswell Brook. We need new legislation (similar to the EU) to deal with these modern `forever’ chemicals.
- Our difficulties in finding out what plans Severn Trent Water have for addressing both these concerns locally, and thus making it impossible to hold the water company to account in delivering its so-called targets.
More information about all these issues can be found on our main Rivers & Brooks Group web pages.
Water (Special Measures) Act 2025
The Water (Special Measures) Act was passed into law on 24 February 2025. The Act aims to make water companies more accountable for their actions, and toughens up the measures used to hold them accountable.
However, many campaigners remain concerned that vital measures have not been clearly set out in the Act. The government intends to undertake various consultations in order to determine all the details. Read more about these consultations here.
