The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) watchdog has launched an investigation into the UK government over potential failures to clean up England’s rivers under EU-derived laws.

The OEP published a report last year saying that plans to clean up waterways were too generic and did not address specific issues at individual sites. It said plans were being put in place despite low government confidence that their objectives could be achieved.

The watchdog will now look at whether those issues represent failures by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to comply with environmental law.