New analysis suggests more than 80% of sewage spills into England's waterways over the past two years may have been unlawful, sparking concerns about the Environment Agency's enforcement of environmental regulations. Prominent water campaigner Professor Peter Hammond conducted the study, which reveals a widespread practice of potentially illegal discharges across all nine of England's water companies.
Professor Hammond obtained a crucial definition of 'heavy rain' from secret court documents related to the 2021 Southern Water case, which clarified specific weather conditions under which water companies can legally discharge raw sewage. He then analysed data from over 350 storm overflow outlets across England, serving more than 30 million people.
The findings indicate that approximately 86% of hours during which raw sewage was spilled occurred when conditions did not meet the 'heavy rain' threshold, even taking into account regional variations in rainfall. This suggests a high level of potential illegality across water companies, with the best performers showing rates exceeding 70%.
Both the water companies and Environment Agency have dismissed Professor Hammond's analysis, citing ongoing efforts to reduce spills. However, the EA has faced criticism for permitting water companies to spill during 'normal' weather rather than exceptional circumstances. The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) highlighted this issue in 2024, prompting new guidance from the EA last year stating that spills should not occur during normal weather conditions.
Professor Hammond's research adds to growing concerns about the Environment Agency's enforcement of environmental regulations and raises questions about the effectiveness of current policies aimed at reducing sewage spills.