Up to 96 per cent of sewage spills by some water companies in the past two years should have been treated as illegal, according to new analysis.
Sewage poured into rivers, lakes and seas in England for more than 3.6 million hours in 2024 and 1.8 million hours in 2025, according to figures released by the Environment Agency (EA).
Discharges via storm overflow pipes should only happen in wet conditions, such as heavy rainfall or storms, according to the regulator.
Shorts
But research carried out by Professor Peter Hammond, a retired academic and campaigner, suggests that most of the time this is not the case.
