Email your representative

Dear {representative_name},

I am deeply concerned by the state of our rivers and, as a local resident and voter, need to know how you will be standing up for our waterways.

The 2023 storm overflow data for England and Wales paints a devastating picture of rivers increasingly battered by sewage. In England, untreated sewage was discharged for a total of 3,606,170 hours through storm overflows – more than double what it was last year. In Wales, we see the same worrying trends, with untreated sewage was discharged for a total of 916,166 hours in 2023.

Additionally, the Rivers Trust has recently published their State of Our Rivers Report 2024, which lays bare the dire health of our waterways.

• 0% of stretches of river in England are in good or high overall health.

• 0% of stretches of river in Northern Ireland are in good overall health.

• In Ireland, just over 50% of river waterbodies achieved good or high ecological status.

• 44% of Wales’s river stretches at least good overall status.

• In Scotland, 57.2% of river stretches are in good or better overall condition.

This is not breaking news – the issues faced by our rivers have been hitting the headlines for years and causing widespread public outcry. Yet, not enough is being done to restore or protect our waterways.

The State of Our Rivers Report 2024 explores the solutions to tackling the various challenges such as chemical and sewage pollution, declines in environmental monitoring and climate change. From re-wiggling rivers, restoring floodplains, and greening our urban spaces, restoring our rivers means securing community resilience, a future for wildlife, and action for climate.

A lot of these solutions can be delivered at a local level, through collaboration between landowners, businesses, local councils and community groups. I want to see more being done in my area and would urge you to lead innovative local action.

When it comes to the next election, I will be voting with our rivers in mind.

Please let me know what actions you will be taking to restore the health of our rivers.

I look forward to hearing from you and, if possible, please copy [email protected] in your reply.

Yours sincerely,
{name}