Thousands of people marched in central London on Sunday, calling on the government to take action on Britain’s polluted waterways.

Among them were members of Newark Rowing Club, who had set out from Nottinghamshire to take part in the most important march they had ever participated in.

The club said pollution in the River Trent was “stopping people from playing the sports we love”.

Environment Minister Steve Reed said he shared public anger over the issue and was “taking urgent steps to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas”.

Clean Water Walk Organized by Rivers Trust.

He called on the government to implement existing laws designed to tackle water pollution and ensure “all polluting industries” improve their infrastructure and reduce water waste.

Newark Rowing Club captain Andy Joy said: “As a rowing club all we need is water to use.

“If it’s unsafe because of pollution, we have a problem because we can’t go outside.”

Club member Amelia, 17, said: “The first time I fell I caught ‘Trent belly’ which is similar to norovirus. I was off for two weeks.

“I’ve been catching more diseases from the river lately, and that’s a clear indication of the quality of the water.”

Another young member, William, said: “You can really smell the difference when it’s poor quality and you can see it’s quite brown and dirty just outside the rowing club.”

In response, the Environment Agency said: “The River Trent is not a designated bathing water, so health risks from using these locations may be higher than designated bathing waters.”

Julia Loach-Martin, who has lived along the River Trent all her life and rows for the Newark-on-Trent Boat Club, was among those walking on Sunday.

He said seeing wildlife in the river was “part of the joy” and crucial to his health.

“We see everything from swans to herons to kingfishers. It’s part of the joy of being on the water in the early morning hours.”

“But no one wants to row and swim in dirty water.

Teammate Louise Lyons said: “I’ve never protested anything before in my life but I’m really passionate about this.

“I just want it to be a safe environment, especially when you’re learning to row at a young age, the risk of falling into that environment is very high.

“I don’t want our young people to get sick because they’re doing what they love.”

Vanessa Sumpmann, of the Trent Rivers Trust, said: “The Trent, like other rivers, is in crisis.

“He is only seeing a fraction of the life he could have, and it is time for us to invest in our rivers and their health.”

There have been an additional 12,000 sewage spills on the River Trent in 2023, with Severn Trent Water saying this was due to increased rainfall in the Midlands.

The firm said: “We are making huge strides to play our part in protecting the region’s rivers, with around 500 rapid improvements already underway this year as part of a massive £450 million plan to greatly reduce the use of storm floods.”

Environment Minister Steve Reed said: “I share the public’s anger over this issue and am taking urgent steps to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.

“We are placing water companies under special measures through the Water Bill, which will strengthen regulation, including new powers to ban bonus payments to patrons who pollute water and introduce criminal charges against those who persistently break the law.”