The Environment Agency has published fresh classifications under the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) Regulations revealing that only 14.3% of England’s surface water bodies meet the “Good ecological status” set by the retained EU framework.
The dataset covers 4,658 surface waters and is compiled from a wider set of monitoring information than the previous assessment, carried out in 2019.
Environment Agency employees said the updated analytical methods and targeted monitoring in areas suspected to have problems contributed to the lower headline figure (which was 16.3% in 2019), and warned the two sets were not directly comparable.
Under the regulations, each water body is assessed on multiple ecological indicators, such as fish, invertebrates, aquatic plants, oxygen and temperature, and chemical status.
The system uses a “one‑out, all‑out” rule where a single failing element can drag the overall classification down.
The Environment Agency noted that around a third of failed water bodies did so for just one element.
As an example, the River Foss met Good status on most ecological indicators but was rated Moderate overall because of elevated phosphate.
The Environment Agency outlined the following key findings:
- 14.3% of surface waters achieved Good ecological status but only 0.1% were classed as High
- 65.4% were Moderate, 17% Poor and 3.1% Bad
- All surface waters continue to fail chemical status, largely because of persistent pollutants that accumulate in the environment
- Ammonia levels were at Good or better in 92.9% of assessments
- Groundwater fared slightly better than in 2019 with 41% of 272 groundwater bodies achieving Good status (37% in 2019)
- The agency says 82% of individual ecological indicators are now Good or High, suggesting many elements of river health are encouraging even when overall classifications remain lower
The Environment Agency said it expanded its enforcement capability in recent years with a record 10,000 inspections of water company sites, increased criminal investigations and plans to raise farm inspections from 4,000 to 6,000 annually over the next three years.
Since 2015 the Environment Agency has concluded more than 70 prosecutions of water and sewerage companies, resulting in over £158M in fines.
The government has also introduced tougher powers through the Water (Special Measures) Act and secured what the Environment Agency described as record industry investment, £22.1bn for environmental improvements by 2030, allocated through the latest price review.
With the release of the data, the Environment Agency repeated how multiple pressures affect water quality, including sewage discharges, agricultural nutrients, urban run‑off and legacy pollutants.
It cited one positive example where phosphate levels in the River Roch improved from Poor in 2019 to Good in 2025 after a targeted catchment permit required upstream sewage works to reduce phosphate discharges.
The agency further noted that strict UK application of the Water Framework Directive means no EU country is currently on track to meet its objectives
Comparable rates of good ecological status are lower elsewhere, for instance, 8% in Germany and 1% in the Netherlands.
The Environment Agency intends to use the new data to prioritise enforcement and investment, directing water companies, farmers, businesses and local authorities towards actions to improve the most affected water bodies.
Classifications are updated every six years, and the current dataset covers monitoring through to 2025.
Environment Secretary Angela Eagle said: “Our local communities deserve to have clean local rivers and lakes. These results underline the need for wholesale change across the water sector.
“We’ve already introduced landmark legislation to hold water companies to account, secured record investment to help fix infrastructure, and are laser focused on long term reforms that will prevent future failures.”
She added: “We will drive forward a system that puts the public interest first with higher standards, better performance and cleaner waterways.”
Greenpeace UK head of politics Ami McCarthy said: “These stark findings should start alarm bells ringing throughout the country. The government needs to take urgent action to turn off the chemicals that are destroying our land at the source.
“The scale of this crisis is sobering. Water companies must be made to take responsibility for their part, but pollution from agriculture is now one of the biggest drivers of environmental damage in UK rivers. It’s time for the government to work with farmers, providing proper support to rein in runaway use of fertilisers and pesticides, and boost nature-friendly practices.”
She added: “The Environment Agency was right to increase the resources available for inspections and data collection, but now that we know the extent of the pollution, much more must be done to clean up our degraded rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwater.”
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