Sewage in UK Rivers & Seas

Regulator Ofwat controversies, fines to scandal ridden private water companies, citizen science water quality testing, sewage discharges, and calls to renationalise water.

• ​Why do water companies pump raw sewage into our rivers and seas? - Our Taap 497288
• England sewage spills nearly halved in 2025 due mostly to drier weather - BBC 26.03.26 512035
• Yorkshire Water fined over £700,000 for repeated sewage releases - Guardian 23.02.26 509685
• Wessex Water must pay £11m over wastewater failures, says regulator - Guardian 11.11.25 497519
• Ofwat blocks water bosses bonuses – but the public are still paying for these dodgy companies - Canary 06.11.25 497303
• Water companies told to refund £260m to customers for poor performance - BBC 23.10.25 497871
• Water companies record worst performance since 2011 as government seeks to increase fines - New Civil Engineer 23.10.25 497368
• The Great UK WaterBlitz: what happens behind-the-scenes - Earth Watch 19.08.25 497509
• Ofwat to be abolished in biggest overhaul of water since privatisation - Gov.uk 21.07.25 497311
• Ofwat to be abolished as ministers look to create new water regulator - Guardian 18.07.25 497872
• Failing water sector needs stronger regulation, says damning review - BBC 03.06.25 497307
• Can citizen scientists help clean up UK's troubled waters? - Context 29.04.25 497374
• Regulators have failed to deliver a trusted and resilient water sector - NAO 25.04.25 497304
• New Surfers Against Sewage report reveals that the UK failed their pollution incident targets - Oceanographic 16.04.25 497523
• Research briefing: Sewage discharges - House of Commons Library 15.04.25 497287
• UK water companies released sewage for 3.6 million hours in 2024 - Reuters 27.03.25 462812
• England sewage spills hit record 3.6m hours last year - BBC 27.03.25 497521
• Water firm to pay £40m over 'serious failures' - BBC 20.03.25 497876
• Sewage is a dirty word. Regulation isn't - FOE 12.02.25 497357
• Researchers seek to expand ‘citizen scientist’ testing of UK river quality - Guardian 03.01.25 497371
• Rivers of waste: Understanding the UK's sewage pollution crisis - Back to Blue 01/25 497520
• It’s time to stop water companies profiting from pollution - 38 Degrees 24.12.24 497367
• Yorkshire Water CEO shrugs off six figure bonus and millions in dividends – just as YOU get a 41% bill hike - Canary 20.12.24 447496
• Water bills to rise by £86 on average next year - BBC 19.12.24 446281
• OEP finds there have been failures to comply with environmental law in relation to regulatory oversight of untreated sewage discharges   - OEP 16.12.24 497306
• Why England’s bathing water is amongst the worst in Europe - LFF 27.11.24 444388
• The privatised water industry shows how the British economy is rife with predatory practices - LFF 08.11.24 439917
• Water companies raise bonuses to £9.1m despite record sewage discharges - Guardian 20.10.24 497366
• English water system singled out for criticism by UN special rapporteur - Guardian 09.10.24 497877
• Citizen Science: 10 ways you can get involved in the fight for cleaner rivers - The Rivers Trust 02.09.24 497373
• Conservative minister tried to block release of sewage pollution figures - Unearthed 07.08.24 427969
• Almost 500 chemicals found in England’s rivers and groundwater - Guardian 06.08.24 426865
• Nervous Starmer stooge fails to defend water privatisation disaster - Canary 28.07.24 425616
• Ofwat announces enforcement cases against four more companies in wastewater treatment investigation - Ofwat 16.07.24 497873
• Why public ownership of water companies must take place - LFF 15.07.24 423650
• Ofwat accused of showing ‘contempt’ to customers over water bill price rises - Guardian 11.07.24 497874
• Water companies could face raft of legal challenges after landmark sewage ruling - Good Law Project 02.07.24 497293
• Ruling paves way for businesses and public to sue water firms over sewage - Guardian 02.07.24 497302
• “They profit from pollution”: shareholders bagged £380 for every hour they dumped sewage in 2023 — see the level in your area - We Own It 18.06.24 497369
• Public "scammed" by water companies - Ecologist 12.06.24 418765
• South West Water pumps out whopping pay-rise for CEO amidst parasite-infested water scandal - Canary 10.06.24 418498
• Video: Hundreds of surfers storm Brighton beach to protest sewage | England’s water companies exposed - PoliticsJOE 25.05.24 497514
• Opinion: The water industry is a national scandal - Unison 20.05.24 497365
• Water investors have withdrawn billions, says research - BBC 20.05.24 497370
• How to spot water pollution - FOE 15.05.24 497518
• England’s rivers to remain in poor state as EU laws ignored post-Brexit, says watchdog - Guardian 09.05.24 413862
• How the overseas owners of the UK’s water companies clean up by polluting our rivers - Guardian 26.04.24 408920
• The UK sewage crisis and how other countries manage their wastewater - Thames21 09.04.24 497522
• How much raw sewage is released into rivers and the sea, and what are the rules? - BBC 27.03.24 404321
• 4m hours of raw sewage discharges in England in 2023, data expected to show - Guardian 26.03.24 404310
• River pollution and the regulation of private water companies - UK Parliament 19.02.24 497305
• Watchdog confirms government may have broken law on river pollution - LFF 28.01.24 396892
• The UK had safe water. Then Brexit allowed the Tories to flush away our environmental standards - Guardian 06.09.23 375898
• Therese Coffey ridiculed for clean water claim as high E coli levels found in sea - LFF 09.08.23 365123
• At least 57 swimmers fall ill after UK triathlon competition - Al Jazeera 07.08.23 364266
• Raw sewage in rare habitats: 9 beautiful places water companies are polluting with sewage - Greenpeace 02.08.23 364720
• How you can help save Britain's rivers by becoming a citizen scientist - New Scientist 17.06.23 497510
• The UK sewage crisis – a bad smell that won’t go - Ocean14 Capital 03.06.23 497516
• English water companies offer apology and £10bn investment for sewage spills - Guardian 18.05.23 346727
• ‘Every river in this country is polluted’: how Feargal Sharkey got swept up by the clean water campaign - Guardian 09.04.23 340150
• Thanks to decades of underinvestment and mismanagement, sewage is flowing into rivers and seas - Atlantic 07.04.23 341035
• People warned to avoid 83 UK beaches because of raw sewage dumped nearby - Independent 16.03.23 497517
• The UK's official swimming rivers are too polluted to swim in - New Scientist 08.03.23 497511
• Demands for public ownership of water after SHOCKING executive pay revealed amid sewage scandal - LFF 17.02.23 330397
• Citizen scientists join fight to clean up rivers - BBC 31.12.22 497372
• How sewage got into UK rivers and seas, and how to fix it - Greenpeace 29.09.22 497515
• UK sewage turning Channel and North Sea into dumping ground, say French MEPs - Guardian 25.08.22 302261
• How much sewage is spilled near you? - BBC 23.08.22 497285
• Citizen Science: The power of the people for the protection of our planet - River Action UK 07.04.22 497512