British rivers cleanest for centuries

Britain's rivers and estuaries, including the Thames, are cleaner now than they have been since before the Industrial Revolution, according to figures published by the Environment Agency today.

The report shows "a substantial improvement" in both the chemical and biological quality of all rivers in England and Wales since 1990, bringing salmon, birds and an abundance of animals back to what in some cases have been wildlife deserts for up to 200 years. Much of the Thames now attains the highest grade of water quality - A - while none of it drops below the B second grade. That is a huge improvement since the previous survey, when the upper reaches of the Thames managed only an E on the scale, and half of the rest only a C.

Reasons for the improvements include 63 sewage schemes. However, the biggest single reason is the increase in the amount of water in the river, largely because of the high rainfall in the last two years.