Farm inspections set to hit 6,000 as river pressures persist

Just 14.3% of England’s surface waters achieved good ecological status in the latest assessment, as the Environment Agency prepares to increase annual farm inspections by 50%.

The latest Water Environment Regulations classifications cover all 4,658 surface water bodies in England, including rivers, lakes and estuaries.

The Environment Agency said annual farm inspections are set to rise from around 4,000 to 6,000 over the next three years as it steps up compliance and enforcement activity.

Water bodies were assessed against a range of standards covering wildlife, water quality and physical habitat, alongside separate assessments of groundwater.

The results show 14.3% of surface waters achieved good ecological status, while 0.1% reached the highest classification.

A further 65.4% were rated moderate, 17% poor and 3.1% bad.

Although 16.3% achieved good ecological status in 2019, the Environment Agency said the figures are not directly comparable because the latest assessment uses expanded monitoring, updated analytical methods and greater scrutiny of locations where problems were suspected.

The classification system also uses a “one-out, all-out” rule, meaning a single failing element can prevent an entire water body from achieving good overall status.

Around a third of water bodies that failed to achieve good status did so because of just one element.

The River Foss, for example, was rated good across every ecological indicator except phosphate, which was moderate, resulting in an overall moderate classification.

Despite the 14.3% headline figure, 82% of individual ecological indicators were rated good or high.

Ammonia levels were also at good status or better in 92.9% of cases.

However, all surface waters continued to fail chemical status, largely because of persistent pollutants that can remain in the environment for decades.

Groundwater results showed some improvement, with 41% achieving good status compared with 37% in 2019.

Environment Agency chair Alan Lovell said the findings showed there was still significant work to do.

“The results show that too many water bodies are still not achieving the standards we want to see,” he said.

“We share the public’s ambition for faster progress which is why we are transforming our enforcement work with better data, stronger powers and our largest ever enforcement workforce.”

The agency said water quality can be affected by several pressures, including sewage discharges, agricultural nutrients and surface water run-off from urban areas and transport networks.

It said the new evidence would be used to target investment and enforcement where action is most needed.

Lovell added: “We are using all our evidence to direct sustained improvement action from water companies, farmers, businesses and councils.”

The Environment Agency has also carried out a record 10,000 inspections of water company sites and increased criminal investigations into suspected breaches.

Since 2015, more than 70 prosecutions have been concluded against water and sewerage companies, resulting in fines totalling more than £158 million.

The government has meanwhile strengthened regulatory powers through the Water (Special Measures) Act, including tougher penalties for water companies.

A record £22.1 billion has also been secured for water company environmental improvements by 2030, more than three times the investment made during the previous five-year period.

The Environment Agency pointed to the River Roch as an example of targeted intervention improving water quality.

Phosphate levels there improved from poor in 2019 to good in 2025 after sewage treatment works upstream of the Manchester Ship Canal were required to remove more phosphate from their discharges.

The agency said the action helped reverse deterioration in the canal and improve connected rivers.

The latest classifications cover the period from 2019 to 2025 and will now be used to guide further investment, regulation and enforcement, with farmers among those facing increased regulatory attention as annual farm inspections rise to 6,000.