By Faridat Salifu
In 2023, England witnessed a surge in sewage discharges into its rivers and seas, with storm overflows releasing sewage for over 3.6 million hours, doubling the figures from the previous year.
Data from environmental agencies reveal a staggering 464,056 spills, marking a 54% increase from 2022’s 301,091 incidents.
The agency attributes this sharp rise in sewage spills partly to England experiencing its sixth-wettest year on record.
These statistics underscore the alarming frequency and prolonged duration of sewage spills from storm overflows, which discharge untreated sewage during heavy rainfall to prevent sewer backups.
Public discontent and concern regarding England’s waterways and beaches continue to escalate.
The duration of these spills more than doubled from 2022 to 2023, totaling 3,606,170 hours. Both the frequency and duration surpassed levels observed in 2020, despite comparable levels of rainfall.
While these figures depict record highs, officials advise against direct year-to-year comparisons due to the increasing installation of monitoring technology on storm overflows.
Nevertheless, with all storm overflows now equipped with monitoring technology, the data offer a comprehensive understanding of the severity of the issue.