THE River Action campaign has hired a top litigator as it intensifies efforts to hold polluters account and restore Britain’s waterways.

Emma Dearnaley, previously legal director at the Good Law Project, will join the group as its new head of legal in January.

She fought several cases in her former job, including a successful challenge against the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs that led to the government expanding the scope of its Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan to include coastal waters. 

River Action chief executive James Wallace said: “This is a shot across the bow for polluters and the government alike.

“The law is one of our strongest tools, not only to compel polluters to repair and update their infrastructure but also to compel the government to adequately fund environmental regulators.

“After 14 years of budget cuts, it’s time for the Environment Agency to have the resources to enforce the law against agricultural, sewage and chemical polluters and for Ofwat to stop water companies polluting for profit.”