40% of rivers in England and Wales are polluted by sewage
Two-fifths of rivers in England and Wales are polluted with sewage, hitting wildlife and potentially threatening human health, conservationists have warned.
A report from environmental charity WWF said 80% of rivers failed to meet good ecological standards, with half affected by sewage pollution.
There are almost 18,000 licensed emergency sewer overflows in England and Wales, which are allowed to discharge raw sewage directly into the environment during extreme rainfall, mostly into rivers.
But the investigation by WWF suggests they are discharging more frequently, with data from one water company suggesting that 14% of overflows were spilling sewage into rivers more than once a week, and half more once than a month.
England’s nine water and sewerage companies reported 1,902 pollution incidents last year, the first rise since 2012, figures show.
Wastewater legally discharged continuously from sewage treatment works is not being treated to a high enough standard to protect rivers, WWF warned.
Sewage pollution can cause rapid algae growth, starving rivers of the oxygen that insects, fish and other wildlife need to live and hitting other species including otters and kingfishers at the top of the food chain.
h3>MOST POPULAR ON YAHOO UK:
The shocking moment a man led police on 110mph chase – with a baby in the car
30 pictures taken inside North Korea using a mobile phone
Storm Ophelia: Met Office warns of ‘potential danger to life’ in UK
Bride-to-be fears dream day is off after couple’s lewd photo sparks calls for foreign wedding ban
Bacteria, pathogens and parasites in untreated sewage can threaten the health of people whose hobbies or jobs bring them into contact with potentially infected water, such as surfers, rowers, anglers and wild swimmers.
WWF warned that the growth of cities and the UK population along with climate change were placing a burden on an ageing sewerage system which is already running at full or over capacity.
Households are contributing to the problem, as polling reveals more than a third (35%) of people have flushed or washed down the drain something they should not have in the past month, with wet wipes leading the way.
Ben Stafford, head of campaigns at WWF, said: “The problem of sewage pollution stems from multiple failings, including lack of proper planning and investment in our sewerage system; shortcomings in monitoring, risk assessments, operational practice and staff culture; and insufficient regulation.
“And many of us are also contributing to the problem of sewer overflows by flushing items such as wet wipes, sanitary products and kitchen fat down toilets and drains.
“No one party can fix this problem. Water companies clearly have a key role to play, but we also need greater action through regulation – it should not be legally acceptable to pollute our rivers or frequently discharge untreated sewage.
“We want to see water companies produce long-term wastewater plans that ensure the sewage system is sufficient to prevent pollution and cope with today’s downpours, future climate change, increasing urbanisation and population growth.
“We want to see the UK Government and the Welsh Government make these plans a legal requirement.”
WWF is calling on the UK Government to ensure at least 75% of rivers reach “good ecological status” by 2027.
A spokesman for industry body Water UK said: “There’s a genuine debate to be had about how we as a country are going to deal with sewage and drainage issues in future in a way which protects our environment, but WWF have muddied the waters with an inaccurate picture of what is going on.”
He said the report from the environment group “overstates” the link between the health of rivers and how water companies treat and dispose of sewage, making no distinction between serious pollution incidents and those which are considered to have “minimal impact”.
And he said: “By 2020, the water industry will have spent around £25 billion on environmental work to improve the quality of our waterways, and we always want to do better.
“That is why we have in place a major programme of work jointly with environmental organisations, through Blueprint for Water, to plan the vital improvements which need to be made in the future.”
(Main picture: Rex)