UK’s Campaign for National Parks goes outdoor to draw public attention to pollution of water bodies

UK-based Environmental charity Campaign for National Parks has issued a shocking warning using a heavyweight Out of home (OOH) campaign to reveal that every single river, stream and lake in the nation’s 13 national parks in England and Wales is polluted.

In a bid to make the government end water pollution, a large scale campaign is appearing throughout September across 35 Ocean Outdoor roadside and city retail screens in six cities including Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Cardiff.

The campaign to end water pollution forms part of Ocean’s annual ‘Drops In The Ocean’ environmental fund which awards two percent of the company’s annual reported revenue in advertising space to environmental causes.

It follows revelations that the quality of water in the country’s National Parks is getting worse, not better.

• Of the 880 lakes, rivers and streams across the 13 national parks in England and Wales, just five meet the highest standards we might expect from these protected landscapes. A key culprit is sewage pollution and the toxic cocktail of chemicals that flood these fragile ecosystems endangering the health of species, people and entire ecosystems.
• A recent study from University of York found pharmaceutical contamination at 96% of locations tested in England’s national parks with some results revealing higher drug pollution levels than seen at urban sites in London, Leeds and Belfast.
• There were 377 sewage releases from storm overflows within the boundaries of national parks in England and Wales totalling 176,818 hours – equivalent to 7,367 days in 2022 alone.
• Not a single water body in an English national park is in good overall health.

Campaign for National Parks chief executive Rose O’Neill says “National parks should be full of pristine waterways brimming with wildlife but the ugly truth is every single river and lake is polluted.

“It’s a perversity of the broken water system that the situation within national parks is worse than elsewhere. A key culprit is sewage pollution and the toxic cocktail of chemicals which flood these fragile ecosystems, as identified by the University of York’s research. Despite being internationally recognised as protected areas for nature, many sewage works within national parks operate to much weaker standards than those in towns and cities.

“The blight of water pollution should be addressed everywhere – and the clean-up needs to start in national parks. For too long the water companies and regulators have pretty much ignored national park status. The government must ensure this does not continue, the highest standards are met and ensure companies and regulators are held accountable to bring national park waterways, loved and enjoyed by millions, back to full health.”

Ocean Outdoor UK senior marketing manager Shona Dobson said: “This campaign will significantly raise public awareness about the scale of the problem facing water bodies in some of the most important landscapes in England and Wales.”

Campaign for National Parks is asking for public support to help put pressure on the government to take urgent action and implement clean water protections across all our National Parks by writing to their MPs.