Going Wild in the Country?

More of the British are closing their stiff upper lips and becoming enthused about wild swimming. This new passion may be a consequence of Covid lockdowns (access to indoor swimming pools has been restricted). Many people in the UK live relatively near to the sea and/or a river. Swimming is, however, only a healthy option, if the water quality is good. Many of the UK's rivers are heavily polluted with sewage discharge from Water Companies (they are allowed to do this, when it rains); agricultural run-off; rainwater from roads/motorways and general dumping of waste. Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee is now advocating changing the law to facilitate more safe wild swimming (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/13/bathing-rivers-england-pollution-water-quality-mps-report) By 2025, the Committee's MPs want each privately-owned, English Water Company to be forced to designate a stretch of their rivers as bathing water. Such a requirement would force the Water Companies to 'clean up their act'. Water Companies have been only too keen, to drive up their profits for shareholders, by discharging raw sewage into rivers (and, ultimately, the seas), rather than investing to expand their treatment capacity. This requirement on Water Companies would also increase riverine biodiversity. The rivers of Northern Ireland; Scotland and Wales are regulated separately. Some rivers, however, flow into more than one country.