Angling Trust

2.6 billion litres lost to leakage every day. Effectively no improvement in a year. Today’s water industry reports show serious pollution incidents and leakage reduction barely changed, while treatment works’ permit compliance worsened. After a summer of severe drought, our waters deserve better. Mark Owen, our Head of Fisheries, said: “Promises and investment announcements mean little without results.” Read our response: anglingtrust.net/2026/10/29/… (Pictures of the dry riverbed on the Pang chalk stream at Bucklebury Berks.)

💧 With 11 areas of England still in drought and many rivers in low flow, the Angling Trust is backing tougher restrictions on non-essential water use. Speaking to The Guardian, our Head of Fisheries, Mark Owen, said: “When rivers and fish are suffering from the ongoing effects of a severe drought, the Angling Trust supports further restrictions on non-essential water use, alongside urgent action to reduce huge leakage from water companies and unsustainable abstraction from rivers.” Reducing unnecessary water use is essential, but so is tackling leakage and protecting the rivers and wildlife already suffering from this prolonged drought. Read the full story: theguardian.com/environment/…

. @FishLegal_ criticises the EA’s 2028 River Wye assessment deadline after a decade of legal action. That would be 13 years from the binding 2015 commitment just to decide whether to seek stronger controls. The Wye needs action now. Read more: fishlegal.net/2026/09/21/fis…

After 23 years, two Judicial Reviews and a landmark Court of Appeal ruling, @FishLegal_ says the Government has still failed to produce a lawful plan to restore Yorkshire’s polluted Costa Beck. Fish Legal is now considering an exceptional third Judicial Review. This matters for failing rivers and lakes across England. Read more: endsreport.com/article/19702…

Jeremy Wade has signed. Have you? Angling Trust Ambassador Jeremy Wade is supporting the call for a change in the way our water industry is run. The petition for a referendum on bringing the water industry into public ownership has already attracted more than 200,000 signatures and was debated in Parliament yesterday. But it is still open until 1st October. For anglers, healthy rivers, lakes and seas are not optional. We need a water system that puts clean water first, not profit. If you fish, please sign the petition and share it with your fishing mates, clubs and communities. Let's see if we can get the petition over a quarter of a million. Sign and share the petition: petition.parliament.uk/petit… H₂O, not POO. #AnglersAgainstPollution