Dry sewage discharges branded ‘toxic filth’ as MPs demand investigations
Illegal dry sewage discharges have been branded “stinking, toxic… filth” as MPs demanded investigations into the claims thousands of hours of releases breached permits.
Water companies are only supposed to discharge sewage into UK rivers and seas when it is raining, as releasing sewage when it is dry can lead to higher concentrations of pollution.
But a BBC investigation suggested Thames, Southern and Wessex Water appeared to have collectively released sewage for 3,500 hours in 2022, in breach of environmental laws.
Other water companies could not respond, the BBC said, as they were already under criminal investigation by the Environment Agency (EA).
Steve Reed, Labour’s shadow environment secretary, said companies were “releasing filth”.
He added: “There can be no more damning metaphor for 13 years of Tory failure than the stinking, toxic sewage now polluting our rivers and lapping onto our beaches.”
“There must be an immediate investigation into the licence breach and the environmental damage caused… [to] expose this illegal pollution and bring those responsible to justice.”
Reed said a Labour government would introduce automatic fines to punish firms who break the rules and “strict mandatory monitoring” of water companies discharges.
Environment secretary Therese Coffey told the BBC the Conservatives had a “credible plan” for more investment into water companies and infrastructure.
“It is a really difficult issue, but we are the party cleaning it up, we have got the monitoring going, that is how we are able to uncover the scale of the issue we are tackling,” she said
Tim Farron, Lib Dem environment spokesman, said: “These revelations are scandalous and government must act immediately. Ministers have been told for months about these spills.
“These companies should be held criminally responsible… it is appalling that most of these polluting firms refused to hand over their data, yet again are committing insulting cover ups.”
Industry body Water UK also told the BBC the spills needed to be investigated, but EA executive director John Leyland admitted to the broadcaster its funding had “seen a steady decline” but had stepped up monitoring by “real people on your riverbank”.
The EA is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
An EA spokesperson said they were carrying out their largest ever criminal investigation and improving water industry regulation via compliance checks and data specialists, and that “tough enforcement action has already led to over £150m in fines since 2015”.
Water minister Rebecca Pow said: “The volume of sewage discharged is unacceptable and it’s why our plan means more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement.
“Targets set by government to reduce storm overflows are very strict and are leading to the largest infrastructure programme in water company history – £56bn over the next 25 years.
“Shortly, water companies will also publish actions plans for every storm overflow in England, something the environment secretary has personally pressed for.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We regard all discharges of untreated sewage as unacceptable, and we have planned investment in our sewage treatment works to reduce the need for untreated discharges including at Stewkley, Stone and Haddenham.
“Stopping discharges altogether will take time and sustained investment, however each step we take on this journey is a move in the right direction.”
John Penicud, from Southern Water, said: “So called ‘dry spills’ are a complex issue.
“Water is a powerful force of nature – and high groundwater conditions can lead to rising water finding the path of least resistance into a network of sewer pipes and manholes, and a discharge made up of groundwater is not caused by rainfall and can happen in dry weather. It is required to be reported as a ‘spill’.
“We work with the Environment Agency and stakeholders to cut these so-called ‘dry spills’ – and all forms of water and wastewater releases.”
A Wessex Water spokesperson said: “This is a known issue caused by high groundwater which, unlike rainfall that stops relatively quickly, continues for days or even months. None of these overflows cause rivers to fail to meet ecological standards.
“We’re using nature-based solutions to treat groundwater affected sites, and by 2025 we will have completed or progressed 28 schemes in our region.”