Country’s record pollution incidents ‘woeful and disgraceful’

Latest figures, which show serious pollution incidents in England have risen by 60% year-on-year, have been described as ‘woeful and disgraceful’.

The UK’s Environment Agency, the government body that regulates and protects the environment in England, reports that there were 2,801 pollution incidents in the country in 2024 – the highest on record – compared to 2,174 in the previous year.

The Public Accounts Committee – a cross party group of MPs – has described the level of pollution as ‘woeful’ and said regulators were ‘missing in action’ in holding the industry into account.

Steve Reed (main picture), Environment Secretary, said: “These figures are disgraceful and are a stark reminder of how years of underinvestment and weak regulation have led to record levels of sewage in our rivers.”

BBC News reports that the industry group, Water UK acknowledged that the performance of some companies has not been good enough, highlighting that three firms were responsible for the vast majority of serious incidents – Thames Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water.

“The Environment Agency is right to highlight underinvestment and infrastructure and maintenance as the major causes of these results,” said a Water UK spokesman.

The industry was set a target to reduce pollution by 40% by 2025 against 2016 levels, but this has been significantly missed with levels reported last year more than double the EA target.

“These figures expose the brutal truth. Serious pollution incidents are rising, sewage discharges remain rampant and our rivers are spiralling towards ecological collapse. This is not just a  regulatory failure; it is a national disgrace,” said River Action CEO, James Wallace.