Water companies dumped sewage into England's rivers and seas for over 43,000 hours during July and August, figures released by a charity have revealed. The deluge included more than 2,000 hours when sewage was allowed to pour into the country's designated bathing waters, including popular spots for holidaying families.
The data was published by Surfers Against Sewage amid mounting anger at the privatised water industry's track record on pollution. Campaigners are calling on the Labour government to do more, including bringing the critical sector under public control.
636 sickness reports and 290 alerts
Surfers Against Sewage revealed that it received 636 sickness reports from people who said they became ill after swimming in the nation's rivers, lakes and seas during the peak summer months of July and August. Those included cases of gastroenteritis, skin, ear and eye infections and, in some severe cases, hospitalisations.
It says the data showed sewage pollution is a "significant public health concern" but, as many cases go unreported, it was likely the tip of the iceberg. The charity's Safer Seas and Rivers Service app issued 290 alerts over the summer months, with nearly 85% in designated bathing waters rated as 'good' or 'excellent' water quality by the Environment Agency.
Locations with the most discharges included Wallasey Beach and Moreton Beach in Merseyside, Readymoney Cove in Cornwall and Plymouth Hoe East in Devon, the charity said.
Dry spills and heatwave discharges
Water companies in England are only permitted to spill sewage into rivers and seas through storm overflows when there has been heavy rainfall. However, the new data shows that, across the three heatwaves between May right through to August, sewage spilled into bathing waters alone for nearly 14,000 hours - aside from rivers and seas.
It comes after the Mirror revealed last month that firms in England and Wales carried out 8,576 so-called "dry spills" last year, totalling 14,873 days. The latest figures were released as the charity prepares to deliver a petition with more than 330,000 signatures to Downing Street, demanding Prime Minister Andy Burnham put people before water company payouts and end what it calls a "profit-driven sewage scandal".
Families affected and calls for action
Among those who fell ill this summer was eight-year-old Keeva Hollow, after swimming at Avon Beach in Dorset – a designated bathing water site awarded 'excellent' by the Environment Agency. She swallowed seawater whilst swimming at her local beach and was hospitalised afterwards, with tests showing she had contracted campylobacter, a bacteria found in contaminated seawater.
Mum Aisling McCarthy said: "Watching your child becoming so seriously ill is terrifying. No parent should have to see their child go through what Keeva did after simply going on a trip to the local beach. We were hugely upset that when we raised this with the relevant authorities, the concern was not taken seriously: we were given advice about washing hands and cooking chicken. Our family enjoys our local beaches, but now we are scared to. If there are issues affecting our sea and rivers, and putting the safety of our children at risk, we want answers. We want people to be held accountable. Above all, we don't want another child to be hospitalised just because of swimming in the sea."
Giles Bristow, chief executive at Surfers Against Sewage, who will deliver the petition on Thursday, said: "A day at the beach should leave families with happy memories, not vomiting, bacterial infections or hospitalisations. We must not accept these shocking figures as normal. It isn't and must never be. This is a glaring public health crisis, and a direct result of water companies putting profits above all else."
He went on: "Over 330,000 people have signed a petition telling the Government it must end this privatised water system to fix the sewage scandal. Andy Burnham has a golden opportunity with the Clean Water Bill to demonstrate the leadership we have been crying out for. The Bill could smash the shackles of the privatised system that has destroyed our waters and reset the industry so that it operates for people, not profiting polluters. We cannot afford his government to waste this opportunity – doing so will mean the government fails our seas, rivers and safety."
Julie Maughan, the mother of eight-year-old Heather Preen, who tragically died from an aggressive E. coli infection after coming into contact with contaminated water on a Devon beach in 1999 and whose story inspired Channel 4's Dirty Business, will join those handing in the petition. She said: "It is devastating to see that after all these years, water companies are still putting children's lives at risk by polluting, and that the government is not doing enough to stop it. No one should have to live through what our family has. Andy Burnham has the chance bring about real change that can end sewage pollution. The public is telling the Prime Minister to put an end to this. Children are getting sick, and families are worried about visiting the beach. All while water company bosses get rich. Andy, you have made some promising comments. Please listen to the public, and deliver the change we need."
Industry and government response
A spokesperson for trade body Water UK said: "The latest data from the Environment Agency show 87% of bathing waters achieved a 'good' or 'excellent' rating. This is a stark contrast to the 1990s when less than a third of bathing waters would have met today's standards. No sewage spill is ever acceptable, and we are working to end them as fast as we physically can. That's why we are tripling investment to halve spills from storm overflows by 2030 and upgrade the capacity of 1,700 wastewater treatment works."
A Defra spokesperson said: "We know the water industry hasn't been working in the public interest for far too long and it's totally unacceptable to see the scale of discharges polluting our rivers, lakes, and seas. Storm overflows should only be used in very specific circumstances, and this government has already taken action against water companies who are failing to perform, making it a criminal offence to cover up illegal sewage spills. But we know the status quo isn't working, and it's why we're driving forward the biggest overhaul of the water sector in a generation to deliver improved water quality for swimmers across the country and creating a powerful new regulator to hold companies to account."
