Record sewage spills in England causing marine species to swallow cocktail of drugs

The Environment Agency said there were 3.6 million hours of raw sewage discharges poured into rivers and seas last year, a large increase on 2022

Raw sewage spills into England's waterways hit a record high in 2023, more than doubling on the previous year, figures from the Environment Agency show.

The figures revealing the frequency and duration of spills from storm overflows, which dump untreated sewage into rivers and the sea, usually during heavy rainfall to stop sewers backing up, come amid high levels of public concern and anger over the state of England’s waterways and beaches.

The data for 2023 shows a 54% increase in the number of sewage spills compared to 2022, and a 13% increase compared to 2020.

The Agency attributed the increase in spills to heavy rainfall over the autumn and winter periods, with the Met Office saying 2023 was the sixth wettest year since records began in 1836.

But the report said "it is important to note that heavy rainfall does not affect water companies’ responsibility to manage storm overflows in line with legal requirements".

Environment Agency Director of Water Helen Wakeham said that while it is "disappointing" that water companies reported an increased number of sewage spills in 2023, it is not surprising.

"We are pleased to see record investment from the water sector, but we know it will take time for this to be reflected in spill data – it is a complex issue that won’t be solved overnight," she said in a statement.

There are around 15,000 storm overflows in England, according to the House of Lords website, and around 13,350 of those discharge to inland rivers. They are designed as safety valves to prevent overloaded sewers from leaking into streets and homes.

The record sewage spills are causing marine species to swallow a cocktail of drugs, biology Professor Alex Ford from the University of Portsmouth, which has been carrying out research at Langstone Harbour in Hampshire.

Crabs, oysters, limpets and seaweed in the area have been found to contain antidepressants, contraceptive pills, as well as illegal drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine.

There have been 400 pollution alerts logged at Langstone Harbour so far this year, which already exceeds the entirety of 2023, Prof Ford told ITV's GMB.

The number of sewage discharges has skyrocketed by 58% to 477,972 incidents in 2023, compared to 301,091 in 2022.

The university Southern Water's pollution discharges and found that sewage spills were more common at breakfast time as high volumes of people are using bathrooms at the same time.

"We're discovering more [sewage spills] than we ever have before," Conservative Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Andrew Griffith told ITV News in response to the new data

The Environment Agency is launching a whistleblower hotline for people working within the industry who want to register any activities that they find concerning.

The Labour Party has urged the government to immediately ban bonuses for bosses of water companies responsible for sewage discharges.

Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary Steve Reed asked what the government "was waiting for”.

"Despite being responsible for this illegal behaviour, water company bosses have brazenly awarded themselves over £25 million in bonuses and incentives since the last election," Labour said in a statement.

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The opposition party has said it will allow water regulator Ofwat to ban the payment of bonuses to bosses if they are found to pump "significant levels" of raw sewage into rivers, lakes and seas.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey called on the government to declare a national environmental emergency.

“Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party have failed to listen and as a result sewage spills are increasing, our precious countryside is being destroyed and swimmers are falling sick," Mr Davey said in a statement.

“It is time for this Conservative government to finally deal with this disgraceful situation and declare a national environmental emergency. That must include convening an urgent SAGE meeting to look into the impact of sewage spills on people’s health."

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