Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ll be well aware of the scandal of water companies pumping raw, untreated sewage into British waterways on an industrial – and illegal– scale.
When sewage works become overwhelmed during periods of exceptionally heavy rainfall, operators are legally permitted to release waste into our rivers and seas – but only then – and they must report that to the Environment Agency (EA).
Yet, as Channel 4’s Dirty Business spotlights, not only are the water companies failing to tell the regulator – it’s also happening year-round, even when there’s been no rain at all.
In fact, the series reveals there were nearly one million sewage dumps in 2024 alone. That’s one every 30 seconds.
It is a national disgrace which has entered the public consciousness in no small part thanks to campaigners Peter Hammond and Ashley Smith,…
