Rivers are cleaner for 19th year

Steps are being taken to raise the River Medway's ecological status

Rivers in Kent and East Sussex are cleaner for the 19th year in a row, according to the Environment Agency.

The improvements have been achieved through investment by water firms, tougher action on polluters, changes to farming practices and local projects.

As a result more rivers are home to species once thought to be in terminal decline such as salmon, eel and otters.

People are being asked to report pollution and use ecological products to speed up further improvements.

Steps have also been taken to raise the ecological status of the River Medway by building fish passes to enable protected species to swim upstream to their natural spawning grounds.

The agency said it was working to revitalise more rivers by 2015 and aims to have 23% of them in good condition.