Raw sewage was released into England’s rivers and seas for a record 3.61 million hours last year as Labour calls the new figures “disgraceful”. The Rivers Trust analysis of Environment Agency spill data counted 450,398 discharges. While the number of sewage spills by water companies marginally decreased compared to 2023, each spill lasted longer on average. What represents a 0.2% increase in duration from 2023, is a notable 106% rise from the 1.7 million hours recorded in 2022, and made for a new record in duration of spills during 2024.
Image description: sewage outfalls emptying into the ocean. Image by Tom Fisk.
A report by the i Paper revealed that water companies in England and Wales breached their permits over 3,100 times last year. This marked the highest level of breaches ever recorded by the Environment Agency (EA) and a nearly 50 per cent increase from 2023.
Documents obtained by The i Paper through freedom of information laws showed offences recorded by the EA included discharging sewage during dry weather, failing to adequately maintain wastewater infrastructure and taking too long to report pollution incidents. A spokesperson for Water UK, the industry representative, said around 98 per cent of sewage treatment works and storm overflows meet their permits. However, the i Paper previously revealed there are hundreds of permits that allow water companies to release sewage into England’s rivers that have not been updated by Government officials for decades. Meanwhile an EA spokesperson said the regulator is identifying “more breaches than ever before” because it is ramping up the frequency of water company inspections it carries out each year.
Permit breaches by the water companies are illegal and James Wallace, chief executive of River Action, told The i Paper “a nearly 50 per cent rise in permit breaches in just one year is a damning indictment of an industry that continues to put profits before the health of our rivers”. The EA classified 20 of the breaches as Category 1 incidents, meaning they were “associated with a major impact on human health, quality of life or the environment“, with half of the Category 1 breaches made by Thames Water. Thames water has also recently been criticised for failing to adequately notify the public of a sewage leak affecting a public park.
The Guardian has compiled pictures captured by Photographer Dylan Martinez, who has spent years travelling around the country to capture the story of its broken sewage system.