Sewage pumped into waters at Britain’s popular seaside towns a stomach-churning 125,000 hours last year
STINKING sewage was pumped into waters at Britain’s popular seaside towns for 125,000 hours last year, according to new analysis.
Waste from our toilets were flushed into waters popular with swimmers 21,000 times.
Popular seaside town Morcambe was the worst hit, with a stomach-churning 9,287 sewage spills.
Water company United Utilities were the worst offender - responsible for nine out of the 10 longest sewage dumps, according to numbers unearthed by the Lib Dems.
They sent it into waters at Allonby in Cumbria, St Annes near Blackpool and New Brighton in Merseyside.
Down south, Bognor Regis was worst affected with Southern Water dumping sewage for a total of 1,579 hours.
The picturesque Jurassic Coast in Lyme Regis was also badly hit. South West Water discharging 1,492 hours of sewage into the sea there.
Lib Dem Environment spokesman Tim Farron said: “It is scandalous to see monster amounts of sewage dumps into waters our nation swims in, do these water company execs raking in millions know no shame?
“This is supposed to be protected water, not the home to sewage hotspots.
“These polluting firms are wreaking havoc on our nation’s waters and it cannot be allowed to continue.
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“Ministers need to get a grip of this. Their half-baked plans just let water companies get away with it.”
Water firms pump sewage into rivers and seas when too much rainfall means their water tanks are full - preventing it from backing up into the streets.
The revelations pile yet more pressure on water companies, who have been plunged into crisis over the sewage scandal.
Last week, No10 announced companies will face unlimited fines for dumping sewage into rivers and seas.
A spokesman for the Environment Department said they have taken tougher action but “we know there is more to do”.
He added: “The Environment Secretary has demanded an action plan to tackle every storm overflow from every company in England, prioritising those near bathing waters.
“We are also consulting to give regulators more powers to impose much larger penalties for polluters without needing to go to court.”
A spokesman for United Utilities said: “We are committed to delivering a step change in performance, having reduced the operation of storm overflows by a third since 2020, and we know there is much more to do.”
The firm said it is fast tracking nearly £1 billion of works to reduce “storm overflows” and stop sewage being pumped into Britain’s oceans.