Celebrity figures Danny Dyer, his daughter Dani and singer Becky Hill attended a protest in Kent demanding public ownership of the water industry. The "Stop the Sewage" demonstration in Leysdown-on-Sea coincided with over 315,000 people signing a petition to return water utilities to public control, highlighting growing public concern about industry performance and water quality under private ownership.

According to the Environment Agency, there were 2,801 water pollution incidents in 2024, representing a 29 per cent increase from the previous year. However, whistleblower Robert Forrester revealed that official figures undercounted incidents by approximately a fifth—the actual total was 3,513, with serious incidents rising 19 per cent from 75 to 92. Protesters argue that private ownership prioritises shareholder returns over infrastructure maintenance and environmental protection, with industry veterans warning of infrastructure collapse without a return to public control.