Thousands of people have taken part in protests at beaches, rivers and lakes across the UK amid a row over the state of the country’s waters. Demonstrations follow reports that millions of litres of raw sewage were pumped into Windermere in the Lake District for 10 hours in February. The situation was labelled a “scandal” by opposition politicians, while Downing Street said it was “completely unacceptable” and the Environment Agency had the power to launch a criminal prosecution if necessary. On Saturday 18 May, protesters gathered at swimming spots across the country to call for an end to sewage discharges into all bathing and high-priority nature sites by 2030.