BBC: Sewage entering UK Waters 825 times a Day
Water companies released raw sewage into rivers and seas in England for more than 1.75 million hours last year. […] Water UK, which represents the water industry, told the BBC that this is the fourth year spill figures have come down and “companies are committed to building on this positive news”.
Again, and amazingly, not a parody.
The Environment Agency and water regulator Ofwat is currently investigating six water companies for potential breach of the law over their discharges. […] In the town of Ilkley, in West Yorkshire, local campaigners lobbied to have a stretch of their river designated as bathing water, meaning the Environment Agency has to test and monitor the quality of the water. Ilkley Clean River campaigner Di Loury told BBC News that when members of the public visit Ilkley, “because it’s designated as bathing water, they think the water is clean”. “But testing is one thing, cleaning up the river is another. We really should be putting the quality of the river before the profits of water companies.” Many campaigners want to know how water companies can justify profits, while they continue to pollute UK waterways.