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The number of raw sewage discharges into rivers and seas in England and Wales will hit an all-time record in 2023, according to official figures that have sparked calls for Rishi Sunak's government to declare a national emergency.
The Environment Agency said on Wednesday that some 464,056 spills were recorded in 2023, up 54 per cent from 301,091 the previous year. This was the highest since data collection began in 2015, when monitoring devices began being installed.
Sites in some parts of England and Wales were leaking almost every day of the year, according to data from the environmental regulator.
The sharp rise in discharges reflects increased monitoring of 14,318 stormwater outflow pipes, which are designed to discharge untreated sewage and stormwater into coastal waters and rivers when it rains to prevent flooding.
Last year was the first in which all overflow pipes were monitored, the Environment Agency said, whose figures also pointed to one of the wettest 12-month periods on record.
Ed Davey, leader of the Lib Dems, said the data was a “scandal” and called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “finally deal with this disgraceful situation and declare a national environmental emergency”.
“Sewage leaks are increasing, our precious countryside is being destroyed, and swimmers are getting sick,” he said, urging ministers to convene a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies – which advises the government – to explore the impact of discharges on people's health.
Requiring water companies to install event duration monitoring devices since 2015 has changed public awareness of wastewater discharges and sparked the biggest protest against privatized water companies since they were transferred from local authority control 34 years ago.
Both Labor and the Conservatives called for a ban on CEO bonuses, but the main opposition party accused the government of stalling on implementing the proposal by launching consultations rather than imposing an immediate ban.
The average total pay of CEOs of the 10 largest water and wastewater companies in England and Wales was £1.1 million in the year to March 2023.
The bosses of the five companies – Thames Water, Welsh Water, Yorkshire Water, South West and Southern Water – gave up their bonuses in recognition of the pollution issues.
Steve Reid, Labour's shadow environment secretary, said: “The evidence is clear. We do not need dithering and delaying consultations, we need immediate action.”
He added that a Labor government would “give the regulator new powers to prevent the payment of bonuses until water owners clean up their filth”.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been contacted for comment.
Water companies have asked industry regulator Ofwat for permission to increase household bills in England and Wales by up to 70 per cent by 2030 in order to tackle wastewater flows.
Ofwat is expected to issue a draft ruling in June, but the Consumer Water Council has warned that the increases are unaffordable for most customers.
Water UK, which represents the industry, said the Environment Agency's figures were “unacceptable and demonstrate exactly why we urgently need regulatory approval to upgrade our system so it can better cope with the weather”.
The trade body added: “We have a plan to solve this problem by tripling investment which will reduce spills by 40 per cent by 2030. We now need the regulator Ofwat to give us the green light so we can move forward with this.”
The regulator's figures likely do not adequately represent the extent of pollution, as monitors only record when outflows occur and not the volume released.
Another 7,000 emergency tubes, designed for use in the event of a power outage, for example, still need to have monitoring equipment installed, starting next year.
Ofwat also pointed to maintenance failure, with around one in six devices operating less than 90 per cent of the time in 2022.
Only 16 per cent of waterways in England and Wales meet minimum EU standards, and none meet standards for chemicals, according to separate Environment Agency data.
