Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Andrew Kersley

Revealed: the ‘catastrophic scale’ of sewage spills in England and Wales

Protesters from campaign group Surfers Against Sewage
Protesters from Surfers Against Sewage. Campaigners have accused the water industry of “polluting our rivers and seas at a catastrophic scale”. Photograph: Emily Whitfield-Wicks/PA

Water companies in England and Wales have averaged five serious sewage spills into rivers or seas every day over the past decade, the Observer can reveal.

Analysis of Environment Agency data has found that the 10 firms recorded 19,484 category 1-3 pollution incidents between 2013 and 2022, the most recent year recorded, an average of one every four and a half hours.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.