Two Cheshire constituencies among country's worst for water pollution

Investigative journalism platform Watershed has gathered data on UK waterways to reveal the 10 worst constituencies for water pollution.

Data has been taken from the Environment Agency, water companies and Watershed’s own testing and considers pollution risks such as sewage spills, nitrates, contamination from landfill sites and levels of ‘forever chemicals’.

Each constituency is then given a standardised ‘environmental health score’ based on these threats, adjusted for population and constituency size.

Tatton and Chester South and Eddisbury both made the top 10 for poor environmental health, coming in fourth and 10th respectively.

However, it is worth noting that some constituencies may have scored better due to having little or no scores in some areas of measurement.

For example not being a nitrate-vulnerable zone, there being no sampling of forever chemicals or having no river length at all.

As such, many London boroughs scored well in the water pollution rankings.

Meanwhile, the top 10 is largely made up of northern constituencies.

Find the complete top 10 below or visit watershedinvestigations.com/map-whats-polluting-your-local-river-lake-or-coast/ to view the interactive Watershed Pollution Map.

The Watershed Pollution Map, showing river and groundwater health (Image: PA)

Ten worst constituencies for water pollution 

=1) Thirsk and Malton - Penrith and Sloway - Central Devon

4) Tatton

=5) Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor - Skipton and Ripon

=7) Selby - Wetherby and Easingwold

9) Richmond and Northallerton

10) Chester South and Eddisbury