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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Helena Horton Environment reporter

Fish deaths in England’s rivers rise tenfold in four years

Dead fish pile up in a brook due to polluted waters.
Fish died in Silchester Brook in Hampshire after a water treatment works released sewage into the water. Photograph: Rob Read/Alamy

Mass deaths of fish in England’s rivers have increased almost tenfold since 2020, with fears sewage pollution is exterminating life in the country’s waterways.

Environment Agency (EA) data from the past four years shows an alarming rise in the number of fish deaths linked to sewage pollution, with figures escalating from 26,690 in 2020-2021 to 216,135 in 2023-2024.

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