From the Thames to the Severn, Britain is home to some of the most beautiful rivers in the world. 

But while these waterways might look pretty, many are hiding shocking levels of pollution. 

A new interactive map from the Rivers Trust reveals the ‘desperate’ condition of the UK’s rivers – with not one stretch in England in ‘good’ or ‘high’ condition. 

Some forms of pollution are obvious from the riverbank, including plastic bottles bobbing in the water, and wet wipes tangled in overhanging vegetation.

But looks can be deceiving, with even the clearest looking waters containing microplastics, fertilizers, and even pharmaceuticals.

This shocking interactive map of the UK shows how our nation's waterways have fallen into a 'desperate' state of health

This shocking interactive map of the UK shows how our nation’s waterways have fallen into a ‘desperate’ state of health 

The interactive map shows the ecological health score of each stretch of UK river.

This score looks broadly at what is living in the river and how modified the waterway has been by humans.

In general, the Rivers Trust notes that the absence or abundance of species is a good indication of the overall health of the river.

These scores are graded on a scale from high, shown in dark blue, to bad, which is shown in red. 

As you can see by the vast amount of red over the map, the majority of the UK’s waterways are in ecological condition that is moderate or worse. 

Zooming in, the map reveals even more detail.

For example, you can see that almost every stretch of river surrounding London is classified as moderate or worse, with a few sections – including those between Egham and Teddington – ranking as poor.

In the North of England meanwhile, a number of stretches of water in the Peak District maintain their ‘good’ classification while the waterways surrounding Manchester, Liverpool, and Nottingham are largely moderate or worse.

The waterways marked in red all fall short of 'good' or 'high' scores for environmental health.  Areas around London and the Midlands all score badly while Wales has far more healthy waterways

The waterways marked in red all fall short of ‘good’ or ‘high’ scores for environmental health.  Areas around London and the Midlands all score badly while Wales has far more healthy waterways

This image shows litter strewn through the River Soar, Leicester, following flooding this January. The Rivers Trust points out that no English waterway scores good or high for overall health

This image shows litter strewn through the River Soar, Leicester, following flooding this January. The Rivers Trust points out that no English waterway scores good or high for overall health 

In terms of ecological health, the rivers of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland all fare far better than England’s waterways. 

Large parts of Wales and Ireland are highlighted blue, reflecting stronger biodiversity in these areas. 

To find the waterway closest to you, click on the search bar in the top left corner of the map.

Entering the first few letters of your town, village, or street will prompt suggestions in the drop-down box below for you to select.

Clicking these options will cause the map to centre on that location so you can look for your nearest waterway.

To find out more information, simply tap the river you want to learn about.

This will tell you when the last ecological survey took place and how the waterway scored.

For even more detailed analysis you can follow the link to the Catchment Data Explorer to learn more about the levels of invertebrates and chemicals in the water. 

The Rivers Trust’s ‘State of our Rivers Report’ examined the ecological and chemical health of the UK’s waterways to give each stretch of water a combined health score.

Out of England’s 3,553 stretches of river, not a single one achieved a combined score of good or high for health, neither did any river in Ireland.

In Scotland, however, 57 per cent of rivers reached good overall status as did 44 per cent in Wales.

This report comes as the Government is trying to create 26 new bathing water sites in England to cater for the growing popularity of outdoor swimming.

The sites would receive greater water monitoring and an enhanced focus on investigating pollution sources from water companies and agricultural sites.

In the North of England, there were some rivers in good health surrounding the peak district, but around the major cities the rivers are mainly rated moderate or worse

In the North of England, there were some rivers in good health surrounding the peak district, but around the major cities the rivers are mainly rated moderate or worse 

All English rivers are failing on chemical health and just 15 per cent are in a good ecological state, the report warns

All English rivers are failing on chemical health and just 15 per cent are in a good ecological state, the report warns

The Rivers Trust chief executive Mark Lloyd warned the findings were ‘dispiritingly similar’ to the first such study the organisation released three years ago for England, using previous data from 2019.

‘We haven’t seen any dramatic improvements, and all the same problems are there,’ he said.

‘For all the announcements, initiatives, press releases, changes of ministers and everything, we haven’t seen any shifting of the needle on the dial on a measure of health, which is showing our rivers are in a desperate condition.’

Between 2019 and 2022, 151 stretches of river did get better and moved up an ecological standard, but 158 actually got worse.  

The report draws on data gathered under the Water Framework Directive in 2022 and additional datasets for some areas

The report draws on data gathered under the Water Framework Directive in 2022 and additional datasets for some areas

At the Shawfords Lake Stream (pictured) untreated sewage has killed more than 2,000 fish after a pump failed for 19 hours

At the Shawfords Lake Stream (pictured) untreated sewage has killed more than 2,000 fish after a pump failed for 19 hours

As to why so many waterways in England failed to reach good ecological status, the Rivers Trust identified three key reasons. 

Of all the rivers that failed their ecological tests, 62 per cent failed due to factors associated with ‘agriculture and rural land management’ which mainly involves nutrient runoff from fertilisers and livestock.

The ‘Water Industry’ and its sewage discharge caused 54 per cent of rivers to fail and 26 per cent failed because of the run-off of transport pollutants such as oil from roads.

However, the data also revealed some ‘worrying’ gaps.

Out of the rivers that failed, 39 per cent had a failure which is not known and is currently under investigation.

Likewise, Rivers Trust also revealed that river sampling has decreased, with nearly 6 per cent fewer receiving health classifications compared with 2019. 

To find out more about how sewage affects your local waterway you can also use the River Trust’s interactive map below.

Sewage discharge was a large contributor to why rivers failed to meet ecological targets. Here in Old Windsor, Berkshire Thames Water discharged sewage into the Thames for more than five hours

Sewage discharge was a large contributor to why rivers failed to meet ecological targets. Here in Old Windsor, Berkshire Thames Water discharged sewage into the Thames for more than five hours

The data also shows that every river in England failed to meet chemical health standards. 

But when the Environment Agency came to study rivers in 2019 they gave every stretch of river a ‘Does not require assessment status.’

This is because every river had failed in 2019 when the Environmental Agency started testing for a group of chemicals called uPBT which stands for ‘ubiquitous, persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic.’

Since these chemicals persist in the waterways for decades it is simply assumed that the chemical health of the water will remain poor.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk

You May Also Like

Is Amazon AWS down? Ring, Disney+, Tinder and dozens of apps go offline

AMAZON Web Services are down, according to thousands of frustrated users. The…

The Best Keyboards for Your Work Station (or Battle Station)

There are few things as polarizing as PC keyboards. There are message…

The Holiday Travel Rush Is Now the Holiday Travel Blob

There was something curious about the US Transportation Security Administration’s data on…

Mysterious Ancient Greek ‘Phaistos Disc’ in LOST language finally decoded to reveal sexy secret

A LANGUAGE expert claims to have decoded an ancient Greek relic that…