From BBC Climate today, the above and:

England’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters remain in a challenging state with only around one in seven classed as being in good ecological condition, according to the first comprehensive assessment of their health in six years.

Data from the Environment Agency shows that while 15% of rivers are classed as good, fewer than 7% of lakes reached that level. No single waterway passed a separate test for chemical pollution.

Despite a record £22bn earmarked for water company environmental improvements by 2030, the overall picture has changed little since 2019. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6d0y5e3mjo

Scotland’s rivers, lakes and other water bodies are in substantially better ecological condition overall than those in England, based on the most recent comparable official assessments under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) system.

Ecological status gap is large: Scotland’s high/good rates for rivers (47%) and lakes (48%) are roughly three times higher (or more) than England’s latest figures. https://jncc.defra.gov.uk/our-work/ukbi-surface-water-status/

Chemical status: England has a complete failure rate. Scotland’s levels of some contaminants (e.g., certain PFAS) appear generally lower in available monitoring, though “forever chemicals” and other pollutants are still detected and monitoring is expanding. https://beta.sepa.scot/topics/chemicals/pfas/pfas-2025-monitoring/

Estuaries and coastal waters: 96% high or good (30% high + 66% good) in Scotland but 0% high and 29% good in England. https://jncc.defra.gov.uk/our-work/ukbi-surface-water-status/