MPs and peers from across the political spectrum have rallied around the call for a special designated status for chalk streams ahead of the Government’s Clean Water Bill.

Chalk streams are a globally scarce habitat: 85% of the world's chalk streams are found in England. Fed by springs of groundwater naturally filtered through the chalk bedrock, giving them their characteristic crystal-clear water, these rivers support an abundance of wildlife, including the iconic and threatened Atlantic salmon, water voles, and kingfishers. 

Many of these rivers are found in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, including the Chess, Misbourne and Wye in Buckinghamshire, the Pang, Kennet and Lambourn in Berkshire, and Letcombe Brook and Chalgrove Brook in Oxfordshire. 

Chalk streams have been compared to coral reefs or the Amazon rainforest because of their rarity and the variety of wildlife they support. Yet most chalk streams in England are not legally protected, and the few rivers that do receive protections are currently ineffective at safeguarding them from damage. They remain critically threatened by sewage pollution, chemicals and waste from intensive farming, and drying out from unsustainable amounts of water being extracted. 

Sarah Green, MP for Chesham and Amersham, was elected as Chair of a new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on chalk streams at their launch on 15 July. 

The new Group includes Lord Randall of Uxbridge, Peter Prinsley MP, and Luke Murphy MP as officers. It will be supported by BBOWT alongside Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, who co-lead the Wildlife Trusts' Save Our Chalk Streams campaign.

The Group's launch comes at what officers described as a pivotal moment. The Clean Water Bill, announced in the King's Speech in May 2026, has yet to be introduced to Parliament, providing a window to influence what it contains. 

The Group is a calling for special designated status for chalk streams, which officers argue would give this uniquely vulnerable habitat a legal recognition and protection that reflects its rarity and its importance to England's natural heritage. The Group also agreed to call for wider reforms, including stronger regulation, improved water planning, reforms to how water is extracted, and support for local groups and authorities.

Holly Gray, BBOWT’s Planning and Policy Officer and co-secretariat of the APPG on Chalk Streams, said: 
“This is an exciting step forward in getting chalk streams the recognition they deserve. Chalk streams should be the jewel in the crown of our waterways; a unique, internationally rare habitat we are lucky to have on our doorstep, and we should be proud of. For many years, grassroot groups have been working hard to restore their local stretches with great results, but ongoing damage, pollution and over-abstraction pressures undermine these efforts and have left many chalk streams unrecognisable.

“The upcoming Clean Water Bill gives this new group an opportunity to make a real impact. At the inaugural meeting, there was a feeling of energy, drive, and focus and we know there are even more MPs and peers planning to join. We look forward to working more with Sarah Green MP, a long-time advocate for chalk streams, and all those involved in the group and what we can achieve together.”

Sarah Green MP, Chair of the APPG on Chalk Streams, said: 
“The Clean Water Bill, announced in the King's Speech, has not yet been introduced to Parliament. This APPG exists to ensure that when it does, chalk streams are not overlooked again. It should not just be down to committed campaigners to protect these rivers. It needs a statutory underpinning, which is what we are here to build.

“I am delighted to be working with colleagues from the Wildlife Trusts' Save Our Chalk Streams campaign as our secretariat. They bring formidable expertise and are already developing the policy proposals this group will advance.”

Click below to find out what else BBOWT is doing to protect chalk streams.

Save our Chalk Streams