Sewage dumping in Plymouth reaches 16,032 hours in 2023

New figures analysing sewage dumped in Council areas have revealed that sewage was dumped into waterways in Plymouth for 16,032 hours in 2023. The analysis is based on official data from the Environment Agency, compiled by the House of Commons Library for the Liberal
Democrats. It shows sewage was dumped into local rivers/lakes/coastlines around Plymouth on 3,374 separate occasions in 2023. 
This shocking figure shows a huge rise of 28% from the previous year when the dumping occurred on 2,637 occasions. It proves how the sewage scandal has worsened under the Conservative government’s watch. Sewage was dumped into England’s rivers over 460,000 times for a total of over 3.6 million hours in 2023.

It comes after the Liberal Democrats local election success where the party campaigned relentlessly on sewage and the local environment. The party gained over 100 seats and control of two councils, beating the Conservatives and coming second for the first time since 1996. The Liberal Democrats have led the way in campaigning against sewage dumping for years. The party is calling for strict measures including replacing Ofwat with a tougher regulator, a ban on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways and the declaration of a national environmental emergency.

Chair of Plymouth Liberal Democrats, Hugh Janes, said: “During the recent local elections many people told me how furious they were that filthy sewage had been pumped into their rivers, waterways and ocean. The Liberal Democrats have led the way for years in campaigning for tougher action. Come the General Election we will be campaigning against this national scandal that has been allowed to take hold while the Conservative Government has sat on its hands and looked the other way.”

Original source: Environment Agency (EA), Annual Returns for Storm Overflows 2023