River Ouse may become first in England to gain legal rights

Lewes council passes motion recognising Sussex river’s rights to protection, amid growing concerns over pollution of waterways

The River Ouse is on course to be the first river in England to be granted legal rights, as part of a growing movement to bolster protection for nature through the law.

Lewes district council passed a rights of river motion acknowledging the rights of nature as a way of improving the health of local rivers by giving them similar protection to people, and agreed there was “a case to be made for considering our interactions with our local waterways”.