No Yorkshire rivers, canals or lakes given 'good' rating by Environment Agency

The grading - which is published every six years - assesses the ecological status of waterways, and measures wildlife, water quality and habitat.

No rivers, canals or lakes in Yorkshire and the Humber have been given a “good” rating by a new Environmental Agency water classification.

The grading - which is published every six years - assesses the ecological status of waterways, and measures wildlife, water quality and habitat.

Across England, just 14.3 per cent of surface waters received a “good” rating, with the figure relatively low due to the classification system’s “one-out, all-out” rule.

This means that a single failing element - such the level of invertebrates or the amount of ammonia - will cause an entire water body to fail overall status.

Yet of more than 563 rivers, canals and lakes in Yorkshire that were assessed, none were classed as good.

The vast majority - some 460 - were categorised as moderate, and this included sections of the Aire, Swale and Wharfe.

Some 66 were classified as poor, while 11 were handed a bad rating.

Those rated bad included The Foss river, due to high levels of ammonia and poor numbers of fish, and Winscar Reservoir, in the Peak District National Park.

Friends of the Earth, senior campaigner Paul de Zylva, said: “The desperate situation facing our rivers and lakes is something we’ve long known about, so it’s almost difficult to be shocked by more bad news.

“But today’s figures are certainly unsettling – things are much worse than we thought.

“The government says it’s acting tough on polluters and restoring nature, but the data shows few of our water courses are in a good state and none pass chemical pollution standards. Things have hit an all-time low.

"This sorry situation is a result of deliberate deregulation, far too much leniency in holding polluters accountable and a reluctance to act with the urgency needed for restoring our environment.

“The government can explain the data as it wishes, but the numbers don't lie. We desperately need ministers in the newly reshuffled Cabinet to start treating this with the seriousness it deserves.

“That starts with bringing forward a Clean Water Bill this autumn that matches the scale of the challenge we face.”

The new Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: “Our local communities deserve to have clean local rivers and lakes. These results underline the need for wholesale change across the water sector.

"We've already introduced landmark legislation to hold water companies to account, secured record investment to help fix infrastructure, and are laser focused on long term reforms that will prevent future failures.

“We will drive forward a system that puts the public interest first with higher standards, better performance and cleaner waterways.”