Worst hit rivers for sewage dumps revealed as Lib Dems call for new Blue Flag status

3 Apr 2024

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will call for a new Blue Flag status to protect rivers from pollution, as analysis by the party reveals the worst rivers in the country for sewage dumping.

EMBARGO: 22.30 Wednesday 3rd April

Sewage dumped into England’s rivers average of 1,500 times a day last year
Worst hit river for sewage dumping last year the River Calder where Yorkshire Water was responsible for 33,000 hours worth of spills
Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey calls new Blue Flag status to protect rivers from sewage dumping

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey will call for a new Blue Flag status to protect rivers from pollution, as analysis by the party reveals the worst rivers in the country for sewage dumping.

Sewage was dumped into England’s rivers for a shocking 4.5 million hours last year, with 559,546 sewage spills in total. This is equivalent to an average of over 1,500 sewage dumps into rivers every single day.

Ed Davey will call for the new Blue Flag status on a campaign visit to a river in Harrogate, Yorkshire today (4th April). Yorkshire has four of the top 10 worst rivers in the country for sewage dumping. This includes the River Calder which topped the list with 4,200 spills amounting to 33,000 hours of sewage dumping last year.

This was then followed by the River Avon where Wessex Water dumped 32,500 hours worth of sewage last year, then the River Severn which experienced 30,000 hours of sewage dumping by Severn Trent Water.

Under the Lib Dem proposals, rivers could be designated with the special status to protect them from pollution, including water companies discharging sewage into them. This would also give river swimmers the knowledge that certain environmental standards were being met, meaning they could swim in them without fear of getting sick. Water companies that continued to dump their sewage into Blue Flag rivers would face punitive fines.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“England’s treasured rivers risk being ruined by shocking levels of raw sewage dumping, with a catastrophic impact for local communities and wildlife.

“It is an environmental scandal and Conservative ministers are letting water companies get away with it.

“The public are rightly furious that their favourite local rivers are being spoiled while water company bosses line their pockets with big bonuses.

“We urgently need a new Blue Flag status to protect our rivers, along with punitive fines for water companies that continue to pump their filthy sewage into them.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

List of the Top 20 worst hit rivers can be found here.