Serious pollution incidents from water firms up 60% last year

THE number of serious pollution incidents caused by water firms across England rose by 60% in 2024 compared with the previous year, the Environment Agency said.

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The watchdog revealed consistently poor performance from all nine water and sewerage firms in the country despite its expectations for pollution incidents to decrease.

Every year it records the number of times pollution, including untreated sewage, is released into waterways from water company infrastructure such as pumping stations, pipes and treatment works.

The figures, released on Friday, show companies recorded a total of 2,801 incidents, up from 2,174 in 2023.

The regulator assesses these incidents into categories, with category 1 (major) and category 2 (significant) considered the most serious in terms of their impact on the environment, such as damage to ecosystems, the loss of wildlife and harm to human health.

Last year, 75 category 1 and 2 incidents were recorded, up from 47 the previous year.