Mass rally against river pollution to be held in London later this year

A mass rally against water pollution, organized by River Action UK, is set to take place in London on Saturday, October 26, 2024. This rally, titled the March for Clean Water, will mark nearly 100 days since the UK’s new government took office and aims to demonstrate the scale of public concern about the state of Britain’s waterways. It is supported by Greenpeace, the National Trust, RSPB, the Rivers Trust, WWF, and the Wildlife Trusts, among many other civic groups and local activist organisations. The rally’s central demand is that: ‘the new government enforce the current law and deliver new legislation that will end all pollution, and restore our rivers, waterways, seas and reservoirs to full health by 2030.’  

The march will culminate in a rally at Parliament Square, with participants expected to cross at least one of London’s iconic bridges over the River Thames, known as one of the most polluted rivers in Britain. Organisers are encouraging participants to wear blue, creating a striking visual of a "human river" symbolically crossing London’s polluted waterways.  

Intervening at a critical juncture for investment in the UK’s water management infrastructure, the march is scheduled a few days before the new Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves is set to deliver her first budget on October 30. Environmental groups, while welcoming the introduction of a Water Bill in the King’s Speech, which would give regulator the power to ban bonuses and levy fines for environmental damage – but some have argued that such measures are too toothless and that more attention needs to be paid to the structures that regulate investment in infrastructure. Indeed, this is within the scope of the current government’s ambitions, as the new Secretary of State for DEFRA, Steve Reed, has announced new ringfencing protocols to ensure investment capital is not diverted towards ‘bonuses, dividends or salary increases.’  

The protest is set to feature prominent figures, including Feargal Sharkey, the former Undertones frontman and now a leading campaigner on water pollution. The rally will also be supported by actor Stephen Fry, who narrated a short film created by Sharkey and has been vocal himself on this issue.