BENEATH the murk of the North West being dubbed today as the country's second-worst region for major water pollution incidents, lies an encouraging glimmer.

It is that of the tide turning, with the number of serious spills in the region being more than halved on the previous year's.

And backing up that turnabout is the disclosure that polluters who cause so-called Category One incidents - those that wipe out large numbers fish and have a lasting impact on water quality - are always brought to court.

That, surely, is the most effective way of achieving a successful clean-up of our waterways.

Make the polluter pay.

And the Environment Agency must keep up that good work with a will.

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