Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 27, 2025
2 min readLast updated: March 1, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleIn 2024, English water companies released untreated sewage for over 3.6 million hours, sparking criticism and a government review of the sector.
(Corrects headline and lead in story published March 27, to make clear the data concerns England, not Britain)
LONDON (Reuters) -English water companies released untreated sewage into the country's waterways for more than 3.6 million hours in 2024, a slight increase on the amount recorded the year before, official data showed on Thursday.
The pumping of sewage into rivers and seas has become a major scandal in Britain, with privatised water companies accused of prioritising dividends over investment and dumping sewage in waterways when its ailing infrastructure cannot cope.
The Labour government has launched a review of the whole sector and the industry regulator Ofwat has said that customer bills should rise by an average of 36% before inflation over the next five years to rebuild pipes, tunnels and pumping stations.
But the industry has warned it will take time before increased investments have an impact on sewage leaks.
Data released by the Environment Agency on Thursday showed that the duration of sewage spills rose by 0.2% to 3.6 million hours, with South West Water the worst water supplier, releasing sewage for 544,439 hours.
"These figures are disgraceful and are a stark reminder of how years of underinvestment have led to water companies discharging unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes, and seas," Environment Secretary Steve Reed said in a statement.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by William James)
The article discusses the release of untreated sewage by English water companies for over 3.6 million hours in 2024 and the resulting environmental concerns.
The issue is significant due to the environmental impact and the criticism of water companies for prioritizing dividends over infrastructure investment.
The Labour government has launched a review of the water sector, and Ofwat suggests raising customer bills to fund infrastructure improvements.
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