3 hours agoShareSaveMark Poynting and Jonah FisherBBC Climate & ScienceShareSavePA MediaPressure on the water sector is increasing due to climate change, population growth and other factors – but it is also suffering from decades of underinvestment.Increased monitoring has led to greater scrutiny into the amount of sewage being spilled into our rivers, lakes and seas. In total the spills from overflow pipes lasted more than 3.6 million hours in both 2023 and 2024.Releasing raw sewage into rivers and the sea can be legal if spills happen during wet weather, though it can still pose risks to people and the environment.But the BBC has previously uncovered evidence of likely spills during dry days as well.In April, bills rose by an average of 26% in England and Wales, as regulators approved water companies’ plans for billions of pounds of investment. This is aimed at both upgrading water supplies and reducing the amount of sewage being spilled.Responding to the Water Commission’s interim findings, shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said the Conservatives would scrutinise and engage with the report.”While in government, we took action to ban bonuses for bosses of water companies that committed criminal breaches, we prosecuted water companies that illegally polluted our rivers and we delivered on our ambitious pledge to ensure 100 per cent of storm overflows are monitored,” she added.Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Tim Farron said: “At the heart of the sewage scandal is a regulatory system which has failed.”It’s time for Ofwat to go and the Commission must now make this plain.” …
