Running 35 miles through both West and East Sussex to the historic town of Newhaven on the South East coast of England, the River Ouse may be one of four British rivers to share the same name, but it is its only one – thanks to a groundbreaking new development – to be granted its own legal rights.

In what has been billed a ‘major step forward in the UK’s environmental movement’, the River Ouse – the spine of an extensive network of smaller streams that fan across the Sussex county – joins a small but powerful international collection of rivers now recognised as “living entities” with “intrinsic rights to exist.”

With legal rights now recognised by a legal authority, Ouse follows on from successful models implemented in New Zealand, Canada, and Colombia across which rivers have been granted the rights to flow, thrive, and be free from pollution.

“This is an historic moment for environmental protection in England,” said Emma Montlake, co-director of the Environmental Law Foundation, which played a vital role in gaining the River Ouse its own legal rights. 

“By supporting the Rights of Rivers, Lewes District Council has set a precedent that could transform the way we safeguard our rivers. The River Ouse is an essential part of the region’s ecosystem and cultural heritage – this decision ensures a better future for the River’s health and protection.”

The role played in the process by the Environmental Law Foundation extended to assisting the local Lewes community group, Love Our Ouse to advance the River Ouse Rights’ Charter within a previously stipulated time frame, collaborating with stakeholders including Lewes District Council, Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust, and Sussex Wildlife Trust to do so.

While not yet legally-binding, the Charter provides a visionary framework that reflects both the essential needs of the river in order for it to be healthy, and local communities’ highest aspirations for it. Campaigners hope that the decision to grant the river its own legal rights will empower local people to advocate for the river and hold polluters accountable.

Born from a community initiative introduced by Love Our Ouse at the River Festival in Lewes in September 2022, the Rights of River Declaration for the River Ouse became the subject over numerous workshops across the local communities – from the river’s source to its mouth at the Humber Estuary – through which it garnered “overwhelmingly positive support.

Since its motion to Council in 2023, other River Rights initiatives have sprung up across the UK, with a national River Rights Network now established to support the cause here on home soil and across the globe.

Matthew Bird, director of Love Our Ouse, said: “This is a momentous moment for the river and goes some way towards recognising that the river is an entity in its own right and that its voice needs to be represented in decisions which affect it.

“The river faces numerous challenges including pollution, climate change, over use, and development. The Charter provides a common framework through which to address these.”

According to the river pollution tracker platform Top of the Poops – established to monitor the reported pollution events carried out on waterways across the UK – the River Ouse was subjected to sewage pollution a total of 63 times in 2023, totalling 442 hours of pollution exposure across four sites carried out by Anglian Water.

In recent months, privatised water companies in England and Wales have been heavily criticised for failing to prevent the pollution of waterways, including discharges of sewage into rivers. Last year, it was reported that sewage spills into England’s rivers and seas by waters companies more than doubled in 2023.

According to the Environment Agency, 2023 recorded 3.6 million hours of spills compared to the 1.75 million hours in 2022. Sewage spilling can – in some cases – be legal, but environmentalists say it should only happen in exceptional weather. 

At the time, the Environment Agency said: “It is important to note that heavy rainfall does not affect water companies’ responsibility to manage storm overflows in line with legal requirements.”

In a damning report issued by a parliamentary committee, England’s rivers have previously been called a ‘dangerous chemical cocktail of sewage, agricultural waste, and plastic.’ This poor water quality goes on to damage natural ocean ecosystems and habitats, such as kelp beds and seagrasses, reducing both biodiversity and the ocean’s ability to store carbon.

Love Our Ouse’s Bird, said: “We hope Lewes District Council’s decision to support the Ouse Charter will encourage communities throughout the UK to pursue charters for their local rivers.”

Click here for more from the Oceanographic Newsroom.