(Bloomberg) -- Sewage spills by UK water companies rose again last year, with beleaguered Thames Water causing the highest number of serious incidents.
There were 2,174 spills from sewerage and water company assets, the most since 2019, the Environment Agency said in a report. Serious pollution incidents increased to 47 from 44 a year earlier, the EA said.
The figures show Britain’s sewage crisis is still not under control. After the number of serious incidents fell in 2022, the rate rose last year with four companies responsible for most of the breaches, the EA said. Thames caused 14 serious spills, Southern Water 13 and Anglian Water 11.
Sewage spills into rivers and the sea have caused widespread public outrage, with many bathing sites now being tested by citizen scientists who don’t trust companies to keep them safe. The issue plagued the Conservative Party leading up to the recent general election, and is now a problem Labour needs to solve.
The five worst-performing water companies will now meet with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Emma Hardy to explain their plan to improve their environmental performance. That consists of Thames, Yorkshire Water, South West Water, Southern Water and Anglian.
“These findings are shocking,” Environment Secretary Steve Reed said in a statement. “For too long, water companies have pumped record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. This government will never let this happen again.”
A spokesperson for Thames Water blamed the rise in spills on an exceptionally wet winter in the UK. “This has at times overwhelmed our sewer system and has led to discharges into rivers,” she said, adding that Thames knows its performance in preventing pollution incidents “is still not good enough.”
Last week, regulator Ofwat confirmed it’s now investigating all 11 English and Welsh companies for spills from treatment works. Ofwat’s probe is running in parallel with a criminal investigation by the Environment Agency into the same issue. Earlier this month, the agency successfully prosecuted Anglian Water Services Ltd. for non-compliance at treatment works. The company was ordered to pay £50,000.
(Updates with comment from Thames Water in penultimate paragraph.)
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