THE remarkable recovery of our region's rivers and waterways is such that, now, the Environment Agency says they are cleaner than at any time since the Industrial Revolution.

And, encouragingly, East Lancashire is leading the way in fighting pollution of those in the North West, having turned Walvendon Water in Nelson from one of the region's foulest rivers to one of the most improved in the past 10 years.

In the time, too, there has been 'significant' progress in cleaning up the the Leeds-Liverpool Canal through Blackburn. And, overall, there have been such huge gains in improving water quality in the North West that despite the huge legacy of industry's adverse impact on its rivers and waterways, the region now has a greater percentage of them in the top environmental band than the rest of the country.

All this, of course, follows the sea change in attitudes over recent decades towards protecting the environment and greater investment in undoing the damage unleashed when production and profit had priority over the barely-controlled effects on our waterways.

But there is another departure to be noted in their comeback -- that these best-ever gains in water quality have come in the decade since privatisation of the water industry. Though, of course, the water companies have had to conform to government environmental policy and regulation by watchdog agencies, they must take considerable credit for the increased investment that has gone into better sewerage and water treatment.

And the gain is everyone's -- consumers and industry for whom our rivers are a vital water source, the wildlife whose very existence depends on them being clean and the millions of people for whom they are a source of recreation and pleasure.

For, too long and above all in this, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, these tremendous natural assets were abused and neglected. Their restoration is as crucial as it is welcome.