Green groups enraged by ministers' plans to ditch nutrient neutrality requirements for housebuilders have warned that it could lead some rivers to 'total ecological collapse'
Reacting to the announcement, Mr Bennett of the Wildlife Trust said: “Make no mistake – this is a licence from the Government for the commercial housebuilding lobby to profit from the pollution of our rivers. Vague offers of money as compensation are not the same as a legislative requirement – and even the existing rules are extremely modest.
“The UK is ranked as one of the worst countries in Europe for water quality and the public are rightly outraged at our rivers being used as open sewers by water companies. Scrapping the rules that are merely trying to stop rivers becoming even more polluted will allow vested interests to make more money at the expense of our rivers and the natural environment.”
Mr Sharkey tweeted: “THEY LIED! The last pretence that this govt gives a hoot about the environment finally blown asunder. Greenest govt ever? Lie. Not lower enviro standards? Lie. Leave rivers in a better state? Lie. All of it, lies.The Rivers Trust, the umbrella body for river trusts across the country, accused the Government of “backtracking” even as solutions to nutrient pollution were rapidly progressing.
“Now is the time to develop homes responsibly, working with house builders who want to find positive solutions to achieving nutrient neutrality. Our own specialists have demonstrated how nature based solutions across catchments can solve our nutrient problems, whilst also tackling climate change and declining nature – let’s use them,” the trust said in a statement.
“There is already widespread shock at the state of our waterways and demands for urgent action, yet it seems the UK Government is deaf to the public’s outrage at the lack of stewardship of our common natural heritage. We urgently need to tackle the issue of nutrient pollution in our rivers and there are plenty of cost-effective measures to do so, not least enforcing the existing environmental and agricultural regulations.
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