“Disturbing” evidence suggests that England’s polluted rivers are becoming “breeding grounds” for drug-resistant bacteria, according to a new report published today.
The study by the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee warns a “chemical cocktail” of sewage, agricultural waste and plastic is “choking” England’s rivers and creating serious risks to animal, human and plant life.
MPs further warned that these pollutants are not being adequately monitored, meaning authorities don’t know exactly how much plastic, sewage, narcotics and other waste is in rivers. The report has called for “a UK-wide survey of emerging pollutants and microplastic pollution” to tackle the problem.
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As well as presenting a serious threat to vital ecosystems, the report outlined the impact of river pollution on human health, with “sewage treatment works and the rivers they discharge into becoming breeding grounds for antimicrobial resistance”.
A survey presented to the committee showed 11 of 97 waters sampled contained E. coli resistant to antibiotics, suggesting a serious risk that sewage pollution could lead to drug-resistant illnesses in humans.
The report follows months of public outrage over sewage pollution in rivers after it emerged water companies were dumping vast amounts of raw sewage, sometimes illegally, into rivers.