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<p>The Government published the first Litter Strategy for England on 10 April, setting
out our aim to clean up the country, including rivers and beaches.</p><p> </p><p>Our
strategy is to apply best practice in education, enforcement and infrastructure to
deliver a substantial reduction in litter and littering behaviour within a generation.
The common aim of all the actions in the Litter Strategy is to change the behaviour
of those who currently feel that it is acceptable to drop litter. By reducing the
amount of litter dropped, and improving cleaning, we will also reduce the litter reaching
our rivers and beaches.</p><p> </p><p>Pollution caused by sewage is controlled by
discharge permits issued by the Environment Agency (EA) which must meet the requirements
of various environmental regulations including the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations
and Bathing Water Regulations. In England, between 2015 and 2020 water companies are
investing over £2 billion to improve their sewerage infrastructure, guided by the
requirements of the EA. This includes investment to improve sewage treatment works
and collecting systems with the aim of reducing the polluting impact of sewage discharges
on beaches and rivers. The results to date are that bathing waters are at their highest
ever quality, thousands of miles of rivers have been improved and the number of pollution
incidents greatly reduced.</p>
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