Water firms 'released sewage almost 150 times' into waterways during dry weather

Water companies have released raw sewage into UK rivers and seas almost 150 times during dry weather – despite being told to do so only when there is heavy rainfall, according to campaigners.

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Analysis by campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) of discharge alerts and meteorological data shows so-called “dry spills” occurred at least 146 times “at a conservative estimate” when there was no rain recorded between October last year and September.

The spills are intended to occur only during times of exceptional rainfall to help the sewage network cope, with releases at other times a potential breach of water firms’ permits.

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Some 95 of the dry spills were at locations where water quality was classified as ‘excellent’, making “a mockery of the categorisation system for designated bathing waters in the UK”, the SAS report said.

Southern Water was responsible for four times as many dry spills as the next worst offender, South West Water, SAS said.

Over the same period, SAS issued 9,216 sewage pollution alerts via its Safer Seas & Rivers Service, which covers more than 450 beach and river spots across the UK and is designed to help the public make informed decisions about where and when they swim, surf or paddle.