Water firms discharged raw sewage 300,000 times last year, court hears

Thames Water was fined £3.34m for a ‘reckless’ incident in which millions of litres of undiluted sewage was pumped into rivers near Gatwick, killing 1,700 fish. Photograph: Environment Agency/PA

Water companies discharged raw sewage into rivers and seas via their storm overflows more than 300,000 times last year, according to new data presented to the high court. The new figures came as – in a separate hearing – Thames Water was fined £3.34m for sewage dumping.

The vast majority of the releases of raw sewage were illegal, the high court heard. The discharges had happened because of a lack of capacity at treatment works run by water companies and had been in breach of the law, it was told.