Sewage discharge in the United Kingdom

This is permitted during heavy rainfall as the sewage system exceeds capacity, but some companies have been suspected of illegally dumping on dry days.

During heavy rainfall, this system's capacity can be exceeded, leading to water companies discharging sewage into rivers and lakes.

[5] In 2021, Southern Water pled guilty and was fined £90m, a record amount, for "deliberately dumping raw sewage" into the ocean because it was cheaper than treating it.

[6][7] Between 2010 and 2015, Southern Water illegally released sewage on 6,971 occasions at 17 sites in Hampshire, Kent and West Sussex.

[11] In April 2023, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Jim McMahon from the Labour Party pushed for a debate and vote in the House of Commons for a proposed Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill, which would introduce automatic fines to water companies for the practice.