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Petition · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Require Discharge Permits be removed from water companies in SSSI & SAC areas

Open for signatures 62 signatures

What the petition asks

We ask the UK Government to instruct the Environment Agency to cancel or remove any Discharge Permits granted to water companies in areas where the discharge empties into a river that has SSSI and/or SAC legal protection.
A Discharge Permit (specifically an environmental permit issued by the Environment Agency in England or Natural Resources Wales) can allow water companies to discharge into or within the vicinity of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) rivers. Water companies discharging sewage are killing the globally unique chalk streams which are protected SSSI and SAC ecosystems. Once these rivers are dead it is impossible to revive them to their original state.

Timeline

10 Jul 2026 Petition opened for signatures

Key facts

Signatures 62
Status Open for signatures
Department Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Opened 10 Jul 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 26 Jul 2026.