Thousands join march in London against water industry
Thousands of campaigners flooded the streets of London on Sunday in protest against the poor quality and treatment of water in the UK.
Coordinated by River Action and led by Chris Packham, the March for Clean Water saw at least 15,000 protesters filter through Westminster to urge Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take immediate action to end pollution in Britain’s rivers, lakes and seas.
Chris Packham said: “Today has proved that a lot of people are pissed off and sick of… a water industry that has gone down the pan.
“It’s neither a mystery why this has happened nor how it needs fixing, but it needs fixing now and that means decisive governmental interventions must be made.”
The government is yet fully to set out its plans to fix the UK’s ailing water industry, but Starmer has vowed to ensure that underperforming bosses are held ‘personally responsible’ for any gross mismanagement.
When campaigning to be Labour leader in 2019, the now-Prime Minister promised to nationalise the water industry; a position he has since distanced himself from.
Charles Watson, chair of River Action, said: “This movement is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Families, communities, and organisations from across the UK have risen in outrage at the state of our rivers, lakes and seas.
“The government’s first 100 days in power are up. The time for excuses is over.”
The march gathered a range of groups, including the Wildlife Trusts, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the GMB Union.