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9 press releases

Press statement: The Rivers Trust responds to proposed 2026 Bathing Water designations

  • Jack Hatcher

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Press Statement: Increase in water network inspections shows shocking scale of permit breaches

  • Jack Hatcher
Statement in response to an Environment Agency announcement on inspections of the water network (31st March 2026)

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Press Statement: Thames Water fine must be spent on rescuing rivers

  • Rebecca Duncan
Statement in response to the news that Thames Water has been fined ÂŁ122.7m for breaching of rules in relation to wastewater management and shareholder dividends

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Press statement: The Rivers Trust advises Northern Ireland to use water responsibly to protect freshwater health

  • Matthew Woodard
Northern Ireland has seen the driest spring in over a century, with rainfall significantly lower than the previous record low set in 1852 — with large parts of the country experiencing little to no rainfall for weeks during April and May. While water levels in most reservoirs remain stable for now, experts warn that this should be a wake-up call.

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water action plan

The Rivers Trust criticises Water Action Plan 2024 for lack of ambition in tackling Irish water quality decline

  • Matthew Woodard
The Rivers Trust has welcomed the launch of Ireland’s Water Action Plan 2024 but voiced its concerns about its lack of ambition and the two-year delay in publishing the plan, leaving little time to achieve meaningful impact for rivers, lakes and coastal waters.

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Dead river fish

Press statement: The Rivers Trust raises concerns over slurry pollution that has killed hundreds of fish in Lough Neagh tributary

  • Matthew Woodard
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency confirmed it received a report via the Incident Hotline on 21st October at 17:16 of slurry in the Callan River near Keady.

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Urban waste water treatment

Press statement: The Rivers Trust calls for immediate action on wastewater discharges into Ireland’s rivers and coasts threatening public health and biodiversity

  • Matthew Woodard
Responding to the Urban Wastewater Treatment in 2022 report released yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Rivers Trust is issuing an urgent call to action to protect Ireland’s rivers and coastal waters from pollution from untreated wastewater.

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Stock image of waste water treatment works

Press Statement: Response to water company investment plans

  • Rebecca Duncan
Our response to PR24, the financial plans for England and Wales’ water companies from 2025 to 2030.

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Lough Neah Report

Press statement: Leading environmental river charity calls for unified action to save Lough Neagh and Northern Ireland rivers

  • Matthew Woodard
A call for urgent action, leadership, and meaningful collaboration across a range of stakeholders, from Government to charities and local community groups, to address the ecological disaster of blue-green algae, which is engulfing and choking Lough Neagh.

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