Popular tourist spots from Northumberland to Cornwall were polluted with raw waste, as water companies were forced to discharge sewage through ‘storm overflows’.
Yellow thunderstorm warnings were in place across much of England over the weekend, while an amber warning was issued for London and parts of the south east. For large parts of the country, a yellow thunderstorm warning is in place until 9pm on Monday.
Water companies store this excess water in large storm tanks, however, if these become full, the untreated waste must be released back into rivers via storm overflows.
Firms have been widely criticised for how often they are doing this: in 2024 water companies spilled sewage 450,398 times.
Online maps published by water companies showed hundreds of storm overflows were active during the wet weather this weekend, dumping a deluge of sewage into the country’s rivers, lakes and seas.
At an official bathing spot at Whitley Bay in the North East, Northumbrian Water dumped sewage for two-and-a-half hours on Saturday evening.
There were several sewage spills across the Isle of Wight, including at Cowes, Sandown and Shanklin.
Campaigners were critical of the widespread sewage dumping at a time when large parts of the country are in drought.
Close up of a protestor’s sign during the SAS Paddle Out from Gyllyngvase Beach on May 17, 2025. Surfers Against Sewage are staging ‘Paddle Out’ protests across the UK to demonstrate against the levels of sewage in British waterways. (Photo by Hugh R Hastings/Getty Images)“It’s the grim result of years of chronic underinvestment, and symptomatic of a system that prioritises payouts and bonuses instead of the environment or people.”
Before this weekend’s thunderstorms, all regions in England had recorded below average levels of rainfall for the month of July.
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The regulator Ofwat has approved a record £104bn by water companies over the next five years, however this will be funded by average bill increases of 36 per cent before inflation.
The target would be measured against last year’s figures, when water companies spilled sewage 450,398 times.
The shake-up would be a major win for The i Paper’s Save Britain’s Rivers campaign, which has called for a major overhaul in the way water companies are regulated.
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