John,

England's Lake District is a place of extraordinary beauty – known across the world for its ancient landscapes and tranquil waters.

But greedy water company United Utilities has been trashing its crown jewel Lake Windermere – using it as a dump for sewage that can trigger toxic, fish-choking algal blooms.

Local campaigners have been fighting tooth and nail to save their home and have got it onto the national agenda. Now they’re demanding an urgent inquiry into regulation failures. If we pile in with support from across the world, we can get this over the line. Sign now: 

UK government: save Lake Windermere

It’s not just the Lake District. Across the UK, reckless private water companies have cut corners to maximise profits – causing deep harm to rivers and lakes and the fish, birds and mammals that depend on them.

The Environment Agency is meant to hold people like this to account, not cheer them on. But according to whistleblowers, they’ve been helping corporations cover up pollution, by allowing them to downgrade major incidents without independent checks.

Other countries have successfully cleaned up severely polluted lakes after communities took action – like Lake Annecy in France, which is now thought to be the cleanest in Europe. Local campaigners are determined to make that happen at Windermere too, but they need our help. 

These heroes are demanding urgent government intervention to overhaul the regulator and hold these polluters to account. And if people across the world join in, we could tip them into action. Can you sign now to help save this World Heritage Site?

UK government: save Lake Windermere, overhaul the Environment Agency