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Water companies lambasted after latest figures show sewage spills leap to record high
A view of art installation, Sirens of Sewage, by Jason DeCaires Taylor unveiled on the beach in Whitstable, Kent, portraying a small cross-section of the local Whitstable community, a cold water swimmer, a school child, kite surfer, a lifeboat volunteer and a local fisherman, February 13, 2024
CAMPAIGNERS have demanded a ban on bonuses for water company bosses after it emerged that sewage spills more than doubled last year.
More than 3.6 million hours of raw sewage discharges poured into rivers and seas last year, the Environment Agency said yesterday – a 105 per cent increase compared to the previous 12 months.
Sewage discharged from storm overflows, which dump untreated sewage during heavy rainfall to stop sewers backing up, increased by 54 per cent, from 301,091 to 464,056 spills.
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