Report a Pollution Incident

What to do if you spot pollution?

If you witness pollution, report it to the Environment Agency incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Once you have contacted the EA, please contact Clean River Action also so we can track patterns, support investigations, and escalate where necessary, You can fill out our Pollution Report below.

What to look out for?

The main signs of river pollution to look out for are sewage discharges such as foul smells, grey/cloudy/brown water, toilet paper or sanitary waste, dead fish; chemical or industrial pollution can include unusual colours, oily sheens, or strong chemical odours; misconnected drains where detergent smells, persistent flows/trickles, or white foam appear at outfalls; and agricultural runoff which often shows up as brown plumes after rainfall, manure smell, or sudden algae growth downstream.

*These are a just a few indicators of pollution, if something doesn’t look right, smell right or feel right, please contact the EA and Clean River Action.

Evidence to Collect

If you have spotted something that you believe to be pollution, then it is important to note the following things:

• Photos of the incident

• Video clips especially if the discharge is flowing

• Location details including nearest postcode or what3words

• Timing- note when the incident started and whether it is continuous

• Smell description- sewage, manure, detergent, chemical