Rivers in Britain are being ruined by thousands of sewage spills

River Sewage Pollution In England River Windrush

River Sewage Pollution — An app that shows when treated & untreated sewage is discharged into Britain’s rivers.

River Sewage Pollution In The River Windrush — Ash Smith, founder of Windrush Wasp, & Peter Hammond standing in the River Windrush and inspecting stones covered with algae.

River Sewage Pollution In River Windrush — Peter Hammond holding a photograph taken in the same place back in 2009 that shows the water is clear and the weed is abundant which is ideal conditions for wildlife, compared to 2023 when the the water is now grey. The weed has gone, taking with it the habitat and food for many animals.

Britain’s rivers are being ruined by thousands of sewage spills

An assignment for Helsingin Sanomat about the national scandal of water companies discharging untreated sewage that is polluting Britain’s rivers, lakes & coastline.
Data recently released from the Environment Agency showed there was an average of 825 sewage spills per day into England’s waterways in 2022.

According to Greenpeace England’s nine water and sewerage companies had the worst environmental performance for years in 2021. Serious pollution incidents rose to their highest level since 2013. And six water companies were in need of “significant improvement” after ratings of 2 stars or less.

We visited the campaign group Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) in Whitney and met founder Ash Smith & retired professor Peter Hammond, the pair have a strong reputation for holding water companies to account for illegal sewage discharge.

River Sewage Pollution in Britain

Britain’s rivers are being ruined by thousands of sewage spills