Toxic spills are polluting Britain's waterways every 90 minutes this year, according to data from an Environment Agency database. More than 3,400 discharges were recorded from January to the end of July 2026, including seven 'major' Category 1 and 45 'significant' Category 2 incidents, as well as more than 3,300 'minor' Category 3 events.
Water companies are set to record the highest number of toxic spills in at least a decade after strict new rules forced firms to declare all pollution incidents. Previously, companies could class some pollution incidents as having 'no impact', but from this year they have to record every spill that reaches a waterway.
Record numbers under new rules
The data is preliminary and subject to change following investigations by the Environment Agency (EA), but if pollution continues at this rate, it will easily overtake the figures for every year in the last decade. The new rules mean 2026 cannot be compared like-for-like with previous years, but 2026's number is already higher than 2025, when eight Category 1s, 70 Category 2s and more than 3,200 Category 3s were logged.
The previous record-high year was 2024 under the old rules, when there were a total of more than 3,500 spills, driven by more than 3,400 minor incidents. In previous years, a number of Category 3 incidents would have been downgraded to 'no impact' even if pollution entered the water. Although not classed as 'major' or 'significant', a Category 3 spill is not without damage to the environment, including physical and fish habitats.
Whistleblower and campaigner reaction
Former EA employee and whistleblower Robert Forrester obtained the figures in a Freedom of Information request. He told Metro: 'It may be that this is a more accurate picture given previous figures were subject to incorrect downgrading, but this year's numbers even outstrip any worse case scenario of previous years. That is how dire things are getting and the true picture is almost certainly a lot worse.'
He continued: 'This whilst still submitting their own evidence in the vast majority of cases. Instead of ending operator self-monitoring, the Environment Agency has extended it.' Forrester claimed: 'This is the regulator Andy Burnham is relying on for public control, but rather than holding water companies to account, they are still enabling their criminality and misleading the public.'
International pop star Becky Hill, who has become a leading face of the campaign against water pollution, called Metro's findings 'damning'. She told Metro: 'The data paints a disgraceful picture of UK water companies and highlights just how many toxic spills and sewage discharges have polluted our waterways this year. This is a “service” which we are all paying for but not enough is being done to protect public health or help improve a system that hasn't been touched since the '80s. I am outraged at the level of pollution and arrogance taking place under our noses. It's a national scandal and we need to keep up the pressure, as a nation, to ensure that water companies are returned back to public ownership.'
Executive pay and dry day spills
Water company chiefs continue to be paid millions of pounds despite the scores of water pollution incidents. Chief executives and chief financial officers were paid £25.3m in the last financial year, a rise of 1.5%, The Guardian reported. This included a £2.5m salary for the chief executive of United Utilities, Louise Beardmore, a £1.1m increase from the previous year. The Chief Executive of Anglian Water, Mark Thurston, received £1.9m, including a £500,000 'retention payment'.
The new Environment Agency data for 2026 does not include so-called dry day spills, when water companies use storm overflows to release sewage into waterways during dry weather. There were already 7,280 suspected dry day spills in England into rivers and seas recorded in the first five months of 2026. For the first time, water firms are also required this year to report their number of dry day spills to the Environment Agency. Once validated by the EA, the dry weather spills figures will also be added to pollution incident tallies for the first time.
Ashley Smith, founder and chair of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, said: 'Year on year we have watched reports of water company performance getting worse but in my view the thing that has changed most is not water company performance but the accuracy of the reporting. We have moved from a massive cover up to much closer to accurate assessment but the illegal pollution and profiting from it still goes on. Promises of tougher regulation create an illusion that what we have in place now is adequate but that is far from the truth.'
Industry and regulatory response
A spokesperson for Water UK, which represents water companies, said about the new pollution incident data: 'These are initial figures that are expected to change substantially as investigations are conducted – for example, as pollution is traced to organisations other than water companies. Nevertheless, there is much more for the water industry to do on pollution, which is why we are tripling investment to halve spills from storm overflows and upgrade the capacity of 1,700 wastewater treatment works.'
Asked about the dry day spill data, Water UK said: 'These are unverified figures, and it is too early to describe them as dry day spills. Nonetheless, no spill is ever acceptable. Water companies are working to end them as fast as possible by tripling investment. Companies are investing £12bn to halve spills from storm overflows by 2030, including relining and sealing sewers to prevent groundwater infiltration – one of the main causes of dry day spills.'
A number of individual water companies told Metro they did not recognise the Environment Agency data, although the EA confirmed the figures are valid. The water firms also stressed that the new categorisation rules meant that 2026 could not be compared with previous years. In the UK there are 11 regional water and sewage companies, as well as a number of smaller companies that supply drinking water only.
The government has been dishing out fines to water companies in recent weeks. Southern Water was fined £2,400,000 in late September after multiple incidents of sewage pollution in Kent, the EA said. In July, the firm was also handed a £7,100,000 fine for illegal sewage pollution incidents. South West Water was also fined almost £8,000,000 in September over 'historic' water offences dating from 2015 to 2021.
Southern Water said at the time: 'These cases relate to pollution incidents that occurred between 2019 and 2021, during a period of historic underinvestment that left parts of our wastewater network unable to cope with equipment failures and extreme rainfall. The resulting impact on the environment was unacceptable. Under a new leadership team our focus since then has been on fixing those historic issues and improving the resilience of our network.' Their statement continued: 'While there is more work to do, these sites are operating very differently today than they were during the period covered by this prosecution. We will continue investing to improve river and coastal water quality, and customers can have confidence that we are addressing historic failings and building a more resilient network for the future.'
South West Water said: 'The majority of the charges concerned the use of overflows in storm conditions. We're investing £760m to tackle storm overflows and have reduced spills by 17% in the last year alone, with spill duration down by 25%. Significant improvements have been made across the sites concerned. We apologise for what happened in the past, and we remain focused on the future as we deliver record levels of investment.'
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: 'Our scrutiny of the water sector has increased significantly and since January this year, we've improved how we categorise pollution incidents for greater transparency and consistency. Fundamentally tougher regulation, stronger enforcement and greater accountability is making an impact. We do not hesitate to prosecute water companies that break the law, concluding over 70 prosecutions and securing over £169 million in fines since 2015.'
A Defra spokesperson said: 'Our water industry has not been working for people for far too long and we have already taken action against water companies who are failing to perform, making it a criminal offence to cover up illegal sewage spills. But this government is going further, bringing in tougher regulation, stronger enforcement and greater accountability, so water companies deliver for customers and the environment.'
