Surfers’ group highlights scale of ‘dry’ sewage spills

Water companies discharged 146 times from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in the past year during dry conditions, according to data from Surfers Against Sewage, which accused companies of “potentially illegal” permit breaches.

The environmental campaign group analysed data from event duration monitors together with weather information from the Met Office to highlight when spills occurred outside of times of heavy rainfall.

In its annual water quality report the organisation accused companies of “criminal behaviour” that government was “not only turning a blind eye but is complicit in” by cutting regulators’ funding.

The alleged 146 dry spills were predominantly along coastlines, with one inland incident between October 2021 and September 2022. Of these, 95 were at beaches classified as having excellent water quality by the Environment Agency.

Source: SAS Safer Seas and River service, Met Office rainfall data (21 Oct 2021 – 30 Sept 2022)

Amy Slack, Head of Campaigns and Policy at SAS, accused shareholders and executives of “unashamedly profiteering off pollution” and criticised companies for “choosing to pour sewage into the ocean and rivers across the country” despite public outcry.

“The government is complicit in the sewage scandal, failing to enforce and strengthen regulations to protect the health of the UK’s waterways – and the health of its citizens,” she added. “Politicians are simply kicking the can down the road, legitimising sewage pollution for the next 27 years through the sewage action plan published this summer.”

Slack called on the government to step up and take “real action” to curb “the destructive and selfish behaviour of the water companies responsible for this literal shitstorm.”

A spokesperson for Water UK, said: “Companies agree there is an urgent need to tackle storm overflows. They are set to launch one of the country’s largest ever infrastructure programmes, which, if approved by regulators, will deliver £56 billion of improvements for our rivers and seas. That builds on at least £3 billion of improvements in the last couple of years alone.

“To accelerate progress further, we need government to end housing developers’ uncontrolled connections to sewers without first knowing their capacity, and to end the flushing of wet wipes made from materials that cause blockages and fatbergs. Both are major causes of sewer overloading and spills. We also need government to implement existing legislation in order to increase the use of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) on new developments as a means of reducing the volume of rainwater entering the sewer system.”

Within its report, SAS called for:

• An enhanced water-quality testing regime
• The creation of 200 designated inland bathing water sites
• Water legislation with ambitious legally binding targets and well-funded regulators
• An end to untreated sewage discharge in all bathing waters and a 90% reduction in all untreated sewage discharges
• Nature-based solutions to sewage pollution
• Infrastructure investment by water companies and other systemic polluters

SAS accused the government of “dragging its heels on bringing water companies into line” and pointed to regulatory budget cuts and self-reporting that have left waterways in “dire straits”.

The report concluded that the country needs “an overhaul of the government’s action plan with faster and wider targets, environmental regulators enabled to hold polluters to account, a financial regulator that enacts on its powers to cut CEO bonuses and dividend pay-outs, and water companies to invest in meeting statutory duties to protect the environment.”