ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to hand over enough cash for regulators to uphold vital laws protecting Britain’s waterways ahead of Wednesday’s Budget.

River Action says that without proper funding, watchdogs such as the Environment Agency will not have the resources needed to combat pollution from water firms and intensive farming. 

In the spring Budget, the previous Tory government reduced funding for the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, where the regulator operates, from £4.8 billion to £4.2bn.

Soon after, it was revealed that sewage discharges into England’s rivers and seas by water companies more than doubled last year to 3.6 million hours of spills, compared with 1.75m hours in 2022. 

Since taking power in July, the new Labour government has introduced the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which bans polluting water companies’ bosses from receiving bonuses, and also launched an independent water commission.

But James Wallace, River Action chief, cautioned that “without adequate funding for reforming and resourcing regulatory bodies, these initiatives are likely to fail.”

“It’s not enough to tinker around the edges with free policies such as banning CEO bonuses: we need urgent systemic change so that our regulators can enforce the law effectively and end pollution for profit.

“Underfunding these agencies is no different from deregulation and continuing the past government’s trend for cutting red tape,” he warned.

On Sunday, River Action will join more than 130 groups taking to the streets of London for the March for Clean Water, demanding the government take action on pollution.