As rain returned to the south of England this weekend, so too did sewage disposals into rivers. The heartbreaking sight of swans and ducks bathing in sewage water near Bath showed the reality of Britain’s sewage-filled rivers.
i previously revealed that water firms may have illegally dumped sewage over 5,500 times in England last year, including at spots along the River Avon.
Paul Powlesland, a climate activist, barrister and founder of Lawyers for Nature, posted a video on X showing a flock of swans and ducks eating and swimming amongst sewage in the River Avon on Saturday afternoon.
The climate activist said he spotted the birds flocked around the sewage, which included pieces of toilet paper on the surface, while on his way to meet a group of River Avon activists.
Wessex Water, the water company responsible for the remit, responded that the sewage sighting near Bath constituted storm overflow following heavy rainfall in the city and that any sewage would therefore be “heavily diluted”.
During periods of heavy rain, water companies are permitted to discharge untreated sewage to ease pressure on the system.
This was disputed by Mr Powlesland who wrote that the sewage entered the river after a “short 10 minute rainstorm of average intensity”.
Wessex Water said it is investing £3m every month in efforts to reduce instances with plans to increase this investment between 2025-2030, adding that overflows were “outdated”.
Earlier this summer, at another spot on the River Avon, swimmers had to be warned to stay clear of water until three days after rainfall due to E. Coli levels, which can enter into water through sewage pollution, which were three times above what is considered a safe level.
Fordingbridge, a town that straddles the River Avon on the western edge of the New Forest, had just been designated one of 27 new official bathing sites for England.
Sewage discharge into rivers is highest following multiple instances of storm overflow. After heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours, Thames Waters’ interactive map currently shows discharges at a number of points including Battersea and Hammersmith, as well as further south around Horley near Gatwick Airport and St Albans, north London.
Public anger over sewage disposal has been growing, with campaign groups like River Action UK and Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) demanding an end to the practice.
In a map from SAS, multiple beaches across the south coast of England are reporting sewage outflows. In particular the southwest of England and the Sussex and Kent coastlines all had sewage warnings in place.
Last month the water regulator Ofwat handed out a record £168m combined fine to Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and Northumbrian Water for historic sewage spills.
The regulator found that the three water companies had failed to adequately invest in and maintain their networks, meaning sewage was repeatedly released into the country’s waterways.
The government has promised tougher fines to come. Labour’s manifesto promised to clean up the water sector, including increasing the ability of the Environment Agency to bring forward criminal charges against law-breaking water executives.
Water bosses could face up to two years in prison if they repeatedly obstruct investigations into the pollution of UK rivers.
New legislation would also ban the payment of bonuses to water bosses if they fail to meet standards to protect the environment, their consumers and their company’s finances, and introduce independent monitoring of every sewage outlet.
Campaigners responded to the legislative proposals with concerns about the lack of policy and investment to deal with the UK’s failing sewage infrastructure, and voiced doubt that any executive would ever see the inside of a prison cell.
i launched a campaign to Save Britain’s River in collaboration with our sister paper New Scientist last year. Ahead of the general election, i launched a manifesto challenging political parties to sign up to with pledges including cutting sewage spills, a tougher watchdog and introducing 100 clean bathing sites.
