Friday 31 March 2023

Sewage leaked for more than 1.75m hours last year

A new report by the Environment Agency has found that raw sewage was released into British rivers and seas last year for more than 1.75 million hours in 2022.

This means water companies had an average of 824 spills each day; which creates a serious wildlife risk and danger to human health.

The leaks occur when there is too much demand on treatment works, the Environment Agency has stressed.

Water companies are now required to invest close to £56 billion during the next 25 years in improving infrastructure, after the government promised to prevent spillages.

Executive Director at the Environment Agency, John Leyland, said: “We want to see quicker progress from water companies on reducing spills and acting on monitoring data.”