Dŵr Cymru discharged sewage into water 'every five minutes' in last year

DWR Cymru Welsh Water released sewage into water 118,276 times in 2024 - an average of more than one sewage discharge every five minutes, the highest number of confirmed discharges of any water company in the UK.

- By RUTH MOSALSKI

In total, Dŵr Cymru discharged sewage for 968,340 hours last year.

The not-for-profit’s target to reduce sewage discharges has been criticised by a water quality campaign group as “lacking ambition”.

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) say the target to reduce sewage discharges to 30 incidents per combined sewer overflow by 2030 is significantly lower than the average target of 21 set by other UK water providers.

SAS say that shows a lack of ambition and is “truly unacceptable” and will mean Dŵr Cymru is “constantly playing catchup, with water users in Wales likely remaining at higher risk than those of other regions, up to 2030 and beyond”.

It says regulators in Wales have failed to hold Dŵr Cymru to account.

They say the total figures for 2024 put Dŵr Cymru top of the list and discharges this year “looks to be no different”, as sewage was released somewhere in Wales every day across January and February 2025. In just the first two months of 2025, SAS recorded 8,432 discharges across the country.

SAS figures show the number of sewage discharges in 2024 was up on 2023 for Dŵr Cymru, from 110,147 to 118,276.

Last year, Llanfairfechan in Conwy had 629 sewage discharges, according to SAS.