Bristol City Council has declared a "rivers emergency" — the first such declaration by any UK council — committing the city to ending all sewage discharge into the River Avon and its tributaries by 2028.
The motion, tabled by Green councillors and passed unanimously, also establishes a citizen-led Rivers Commission with the power to inspect discharge data, fine water companies directly, and recommend prosecutions.
"Clean water is not a luxury. It is a public good, and we will enforce it at a local level if the government won't," said Green group leader Cllr Lily Thompson, who introduced the motion.
