Almost all sewage spills ‘may have been illegal’

Sewage spills generally occur because wastewater fills pipes and tanks, which forces emergency valves to open to prevent systems being overwhelmed - Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesAlmost all sewage spills in England's waterways may have been "illegal", according to a leading scientist. The definition comes from documents relating to a court case against Southern Water for illegal sewage spills in 2021. Sewage spills generally occur because wastewater fills pipes and tanks, which forces emergency valves to open to prevent systems being overwhelmed. Mr Hammond found that around 86pc of raw sewage spills took place when there had been no heavy rain at all. Mr Hammond has created a digital map on his website to create a picture of the scale of illegal sewage spills across the country.