South-west England has most hours of sewage spills

The number of sewage spills into waters around south-west England dropped last year but was higher than in three of the previous five years, figures show.

Data released by the Environment Agency showed water firm South West Water was responsible for 46,164 spills in 2025, lasting 407,006 hours.

The figure is lower than 2024, when there were 56,173 spills over 544,439 hours, and 2023, with 58,249 spills over 520,737 hours. But it is higher than those recorded between 2020 and 2022 and the duration longer than any other water firm in England.

The BBC has asked South West Water for comment. Earlier it said spills had been reduced by 17% in the last year and the duration of overflows cut by 25%.

The Environment Agency's figures for the past six years for South West Water sewage discharges are:

• 2025 - 46,164 spills, 407,006 hours
• 2024 - 56,173 spills, 544,439 hours
• 2023 - 58,249 spills, 520,737 hours
• 2022 - 37,649 spills, 351,785 hours
• 2021 - 42,484 spills, 351,785 hours
• 2020 - 42,054 spills, 375,372 hours

For 2025, United Utilities - which serves north-west England, had the next highest spillage hours figure with 327,453.

Yorkshire Water had the third highest spillage hours figure (285,931) and Severn Trent Water was fourth highest (200,361).

United Utilities had the highest number of spills in 2025 with 60,843, with Yorkshire Water second (51,431) and South West Water third.

Sewage is spilt when it is raining to prevent the system becoming overwhelmed and backing up into people's homes. So with less rain there are fewer sewage releases.

Environmental charities said the lower numbers were "not evidence of real change", but the industry body Water UK said the country was starting to see the effect of companies tripling investment in infrastructure.

Earlier this month, SWW admitted illegally spilling sewage at sites across Devon and Cornwall over a period of six years.

Surfers and beachgoers have expressed rising frustration at the level of water pollution.

Campaigners are calling for more to be done to reduce discharges.

"It makes me really angry," said surfer Deborah Cadby from Bude, Cornwall.

"The water should be clean, so we don't have to worry about getting ill. It's not good enough."

Jo Bateman from Exmouth is taking legal action against SWW over pollution in the sea.

"I don't see it getting any better," she said.

"It just goes on and on, getting worse and worse, with people get angrier and angrier".

There is also a group legal action underway against SWW with lawyers claiming its failings are "wide and entrenched in many coastal towns across the Devon and Cornwall region".

Richard Burrow, from Hatherleigh in Devon, said he was "shocked and horrified" by the number of spills into the River Lew, which runs through the west Devon town.

Burrow claimed the discharges were "obviously a result of a lack of investment in the sewage treatment infrastructure".

SWW said it had completed a tank upgrade at Hatherleigh's Sewage Treatment Works in 2023 and carried out work to line 350m of sewer in 2024.

The new chief executive officer of SWW and the Pennon Group is expected to start on 1 April.

Richard Price, managing director of waste water services at SWW, said the firm had continued to reduce storm overflow use despite south-west England experiencing 62% more rainfall than the rest of England in 2025.

"Against that backdrop, we have reduced spills by 17% in the last year and spill duration is down by 25%," he said.

He said the company had a "clear focus" of prioritising beaches during the bathing season and targeting the highest spilling sites.

"We have reduced by 50% the number of sites that spill more than 100 times per year, and our top five spilling sites have reduced spills by 50% following targeted interventions," he added.

"Since last year, more than 8,300 spills have been prevented as a direct result of investment and operational improvements.

"This forms part of our 15-year plan, backed by around £760m of investment to 2030."

Environment Agency chairman Alan Lovell said the reduction of sewage overspills in England year-on-year was a "clear win for people and the environment", but improvements were needed.

"It is vital that improvements to the sewage system are sustained over the long term, and the Environment Agency will continue to hold water companies to account where performance falls short," he said.

The government's water minister, Emma Hardy, said while the number of spills across England had dropped, the levels were still "unacceptable".

"That's why this government is taking action," she said.

"We've banned unfair bonuses, ring-fenced a record level of investment and introduced landmark legislation to hold water companies to account – including jail time for water company executives who obstruct investigations."

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