The water quality of a Berkshire chalk stream - named by Thames Water as part of a "flagship chalk stream restoration project" - has been classed as "poor" by the Environment Agency. In the figures released on Thursday, the River Pang also failed a test for hazardous substances. In 2022, Thames Water began the Pang Flagship Chalk Stream Partnership, which it said would "deliver restoration plans from 2025 to 2035". Thames Water said it had invested £875,000 in the partnership, adding river water quality was influenced by a range of factors, "including farming, industry, road runoff and increasingly extreme weather" and "addressing these challenges" required "a coordinated approach". Chalk streams are rare, diverse habitats and, of the 260 chalk rivers in world, 85% of them are located in the UK.