Illegal sewage in rivers ‘10 times higher than official data suggests’

Sewage foam collecting around boats at Bourne End Marina
Environment Agency/PA

Prosecutions of English water companies for unlawful spills of raw sewage are just a small fraction of the scale of the problem, according to new analysis.

Water companies are being allowed to discharge raw sewage illegally into rivers at the scale of at least 10 times more than Environment Agency (EA) prosecutions show, The Guardian reports.

Research will be presented to the environment minister Rebecca Pow later this week.

Professor Peter Hammond, visiting scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, will say that weak regulation and underreporting by water companies of potentially illegal discharges have led to environmental damage.

His analysis, covering a 10 year period, will also highlight a failure to hold companies to account since regulations changed in 2010 allowing water companies to self-report spills from storm overflows.

“The evidence suggests that in the last decade, ‘early’ dumping of untreated sewage to rivers has been at least 10 times more frequent than EA monitoring and prosecutions suggest,” said Prof Hammond.

“For rivers, wildlife and environment there has been unchecked dumping of untreated sewage which would have resulted in ecological damage.”

Wastewater companies receive permits allowing them to discharge untreated sewage into rivers after heavy rainfall.

Prof Hammond’s data has been compiled from environmental information requests (EIRs) and the examination of permits issued by the EA to sewage treatment works.

It also takes into account an analysis of the rates of flow of untreated and treated sewage at treatment works and the stop and start times of raw sewage discharges.

According to one EIR response, the EA registered 174 prosecutions of water companies over 10 years from 2010 for breaches across more than 1,000 sewage treatment plants.

However, Prof Hammond’s analysis of 83 sewage treatment plants suggests there were at least 2,197 potential breaches in the same period.

“The evidence suggests that in the last decade, ‘early’ dumping of untreated sewage to rivers has been at least 10 times more frequent than EA monitoring and prosecutions suggest,” Prof Hammond told The Guardian.

“For rivers, wildlife and environment there has been unchecked dumping of untreated sewage which would have resulted in ecological damage.”

The EA told The Guardian: “Where there is evidence, the Environment Agency uses a full range of enforcement options ranging from advice and guidance through to prosecution.

“We know the impact major pollution incidents can have and, while water quality has improved dramatically over the last decade, we are committed to improving it further – so far in 2021 the EA have concluded 2 prosecutions against water companies with fines of £2.3m and £4m.”

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