Surge in Dry-Weather Raw Sewage Discharges by England and Wales Water Companies

During the first five months of 2026, water utilities in England and Wales reported 7,280 raw-sewage discharges on dry days, a sharp rise from the 8,576 incidents recorded for the whole of 2025. The increase occurs despite a regulatory requirement introduced in 2025 that obliges companies to report such events to the Environment Agency as pollution incidents. Combined-sewer overflows, originally intended for extreme weather relief, are being activated repeatedly when river flow is low and rainfall is absent, intensifying toxicity in waterways.

The Guardian

In 2025, the Environment Agency mandated that all water companies log dry-day spills as pollution incidents, providing the government with data to enforce compliance. The new reporting framework was presented as “tougher action” on sewage pollution, aiming to curb illegal releases that breach company permits.

The Guardian

South West Water, serving Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, logged 1,299 dry-day discharges in the same five-month period, compared with 2,451 for the entire previous year. Publicly mapped data showed the firm’s storm-overflow system operating for almost 300 hours in the third week of August, shortly after a six-week drought ended. Councillor Ed Tyldesley (Liberal Democrat, north Devon) highlighted 664 separate spills across 184 sites despite only 16.5 mm of rain, questioning whether the monitoring system was producing false readings.

The Guardian

Water UK, the industry trade association, described the figures as “unverified” and emphasized ongoing investment of £12 billion to halve storm-overflow spills by 2030, including sewer relining and sealing. A Defra spokesperson called the situation “totally unacceptable,” noting that mandatory reporting now equips the government to act against under-performing companies.

The Guardian

“Dry day spills will almost always be deliberate and illegal, otherwise there would be non-stop raw sewage spilling from pipes,” — Robert Forrester

The Guardian