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New reports show each of the country’s rivers, lakes and estuaries are filled with harmful forever chemicals – a litmus test for a mounting ecological crisis.
To suggest that most of England’s inner-city rivers are heavily polluted would be akin to calling the sky blue. But stating the obvious it is not. Far beyond the murky waters of London’s Thames or Manchester’s Irwell, each and every body of water across the country is filled with toxic chemicals.
A new report by the Environment Agency has found that every single estuary, lake and river in England is polluted by toxic ‘forever chemicals’, with just 14.3% of surface waters (one in seven) achieving good ecological status.
The findings were gathered as part of a six-yearly evaluation by the agency, which checks for a range of toxic chemicals from Pfas to microplastics. Waters were also checked against a range of standards spanning wildlife, water quality and physical habitat.
15% of rivers were classed as ‘good’, and fewer than 7% of lakes reached that level. No single waterway passed a separate test for chemical pollution.
It’s hard to believe that the picturesque streams of England’s green and pleasant lands are teeming with harmful pollutants, but it’s a litmus test for a rapidly decaying world. Microplastics have already been found in all human organs and tissues – they’ve even been detected in semen. They affect everything from reproductive health to inflammation and mental wellbeing.
Only 14.3% of England’s rivers have an ecological status that qualifies as “good”.
As water firms face a criminal probe for pumping raw sewage into English waters, we went to London’s River Lea after it was listed as in “bad ecological condition” to talk to locals pic.twitter.com/4TCkIB7aDO
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 13, 2026
The same pattern is unfolding in the natural environment. Toxic chemicals are passing through the country’s waterways and rivers just as they move around our body’s veins and arteries. It’s a dystopian reality – but reality nonetheless.
The most unsettling aspect of the findings is not simply that pollution is everywhere, but that it has become so commonplace it barely registers. Sewage discharges provoke public outrage because they are visible, but forever chemicals lurk – quite literally – beneath the surface. These toxins are colourless and odourless, allowing us to carry on as if they’re not there.
PFAS, known collectively as ‘forever chemicals’, were designed to resist heat, grease and water. They have been used for decades in everything from waterproof clothing and non-stick cookware to firefighting foam and industrial manufacturing.
Their durability made them commercially indispensable; it also means many do not naturally break down. Once they enter rivers, soil and wildlife, they remain there, cycling through ecosystems for the rest of time.
