Feargal Sharkey: We’re destroying every river in the country

Feargal Sharkey may be best known as the singer for The Undertones but he’s spent much of his recent years on the frontline of the struggle to save Britain’s rivers. “Just 14% of our rivers are in good ecological condition”, he says, and “unless there is a serious intervention by 2027 that number will have dropped to just 6%. We have basically been destroying every single river in the country”.

The dire state of the UK’s rivers has sparked public outrage: The UK’s rivers are neglected, polluted and over-exploited. In partnership with our sister publication the i, New Scientist’s ‘Save Britain’s Rivers’ campaign will reveal what’s gone wrong and how to restore them.