Lib Dems Call for End to ‘Great Sewage Cover-up’ as New Stats Show Thousands of Hours of Filth Pumped into Waterways

26 Mar 2026

EMBARGO: 22.30 Thursday 26 March 2026

The Liberal Democrats are launching a campaign to ‘End the Great Sewage Cover-Up’ as annual data on sewage spills hides the true scale of sewage dumping by water companies continuing across the UK.

Government data released yesterday revealed that in 2025 there were a shocking 291,492 sewage spills across England but there is still no requirement on water companies to monitor or report the volume of these spills.

Despite the Government’s claims that spills are down, the intensity of sewage discharges remains devastating. At the top of the league of shame, United Utilities recorded a staggering 60,843 individual spills, followed closely by Yorkshire Water (51,431) and South West Water (46,164).

The Liberal Democrats are now demanding an immediate end to the ‘Great Sewage Cover-up.’ The party is calling on the Government to require water companies to monitor and report the volume of sewage dumped to provide the public with a more accurate picture of the environmental damage being caused. The Government’s Water White Paper ‘A New Vision for Water’, released in January, made no such commitment. The party is planning to amend the new water legislation the Government is expected to bring forward in the King’s Speech, should they refuse to make this change themselves.

In Oxfordshire today (Fri 27 March), Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is set to meet with Ash Smith, the campaigner whose efforts to expose harmful sewage spills served as the inspiration for the recent Channel 4 docu-drama, Dirty Business.

Liberal Democrat Leader, Ed Davey, said:

“The Great Sewage Cover-Up is a national scandal. It is not enough to know how long a sewage spill lasted, we need to know the sheer volume of waste being dumped to understand the true scale of this destruction.

“While water bosses pocket massive bonuses and hike up bills, our families are being left to swim in filth. Liberal Democrats are demanding an end to this cover-up. It’s time the true extent of the sewage crisis is revealed.”

Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson, Tim Farron, added:

“For too long, water companies have been allowed to treat our coastlines as open sewers. From the Conservatives' years of negligence to Labour’s current failure to take tough action, the excuses must stop.

“I have never heard anyone say "I'll have three and a half seconds of Guinness please". By measuring in time not volume, these companies deliberately obscure how much they are polluting our waterways with sewage.

“The Government needs to finally hold these firms to account by forcing them to report the volume of sewage discharged. The public deserves to know exactly how many millions of litres of filth are trashing our environment and threatening our health. Until we measure the true scale of this destruction, the cover-up will continue.”

ENDS

2025 Event Duration Monitoring - Storm Overflows - Annual Returns reported here.

Top 5 worst for average duration (hrs) per spill event:

Thames Water: 11.7 hours

South West Water: 8.8 hours

Wessex Water: 7.8 hours

Southern Water: 7.4 hours

Anglian Water: 6.1 hours

Top 5 worst total number of spills:

United Utilities: 60,843

Yorkshire Water: 51,431

South West Water: 46,164