Surfers Against Sewage delivers petition as sewage spills hit 43,000 hours
Campaigners delivered a petition to Downing Street after data showed sewage was dumped for over 43,000 hours in July and August, including during heatwaves.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Surfers Against Sewage has released new data showing that water companies dumped sewage into England's waterways for more than 43,000 hours during July and August, including almost 14,000 hours during three heatwaves. The campaign group says this happened despite rules that storm overflows should only be used during heavy rainfall. It has delivered a petition to Downing Street urging the government to take action.
The figures come as the group received more than 600 reports of people falling ill after swimming in the nation's lakes, rivers and seas. One family described how eight-year-old Kiva became seriously ill after swallowing seawater at Avon Beach in Dorset. She was taken to hospital with campylobacter, a bacteria that can be found in contaminated water. Her mother said she would not let her children go back in the sea.
The Environment Agency has launched almost 100 criminal investigations into water companies for alleged rule-breaking between April 2025 and April 2026. Campaigners say all of Britain's rivers are polluted and are calling for more resources for the regulator. The government says it is increasing funding and has made covering up illegal sewage spills a criminal offence. It promises the biggest overhaul of the water sector in a generation.
Water companies have defended their actions. Southern Water said most of its discharges happened during heavy rainfall in mid to late August, the first rain since June, and that all but one of its bathing waters were rated good or excellent. Wessex Water said none of its sewage assets upstream of Avon Beach had discharged since June.
The Environment Agency regularly tests 464 sites for contamination. Samples are sent to a laboratory in Exeter where microbiologists test for E. coli and intestinal enterococci. The government says it is working with partners to identify sources of pollution, which could include agricultural runoff, surface water runoff, or storm overflows.
The debate over how to clean up Britain's waterways continues, with some campaigners calling for the nationalisation of private water companies.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| A charity received more than 600 reports of people getting ill after swimming. | Reported by ITV | |
| Sewage spilled into bathing waters for nearly 14,000 hours across three heatwaves between May and August. | Reported by ITV | |
| Water companies dumped sewage into England's waterways for over 43,000 hours during July and August. | Reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | ||
| A child named Kiva contracted Campylobacter after swimming at Avon Beach and spent two nights in hospital. | Not reported by Sky News | |
| A child was hospitalised with E. coli and haemolytic uraemic syndrome after kayaking in Lake Windermere, which had been rated 'excellent' by the Environment Agency. | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| A group will deliver a petition to Downing Street urging Andy Burnham to do more. | Not reported by Sky News | |
| A petition was delivered to the prime minister in Downing Street. | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Environment Agency data rates 87% of England's bathing waters as good or excellent. | Not reported by Sky News | |
| No reservoir has been built in England for 35 years. | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| River Action stated that all rivers in the UK are polluted. | Not reported by ITV | |
| Sewage spilled into UK waters for 14,000 to 43,000 hours during summer 2025. | Not reported by ITV | |
| Southern Water discharged sewage for more than 400 hours into bathing water across a catchment. | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Southern Water said all but one of its bathing waters were rated good or excellent by the Environment Agency in October 2025. | Not reported by ITV | |
| Southern Water said most sewage activity happened during heavy rainfall in mid to late August, the first rainfall since June. | Not reported by ITV | |
| Surfers Against Sewage named Southern Water as one of the worst culprits for sewage spills. | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The Environment Agency launched nearly 100 criminal investigations into water companies between April 2025 and April 2026. | Not reported by ITV | |
| The Prime Minister is keen to bring Thames Water into public ownership. | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This report focuses on the human impact of sewage pollution, telling the story of a child who fell ill after a kayaking trip, and highlights the inadequacy of current testing and regulation. It gives access to the water-testing process and includes calls for more funding for the Environment Agency.
- “Campaigners say all of Britain's rivers are polluted”
- “The Environment Agency over recent decades has had its funding and resources cut”
- “Swimmers are being urged to check the status of their favourite spots before getting into the water”
This discussion segment focuses on the political and regulatory failures behind the sewage problem, including the cost of nationalisation, the lack of reservoirs, and public anger. It adds context about Thames Water and the government's dilemma.
- “This just seems to be a constant chronic problem that people are sick to the back teeth of”
- “A lot of the big companies say they haven't paid dividends for a long time”
- “a reservoir hasn't been built in England for 35 years”
This segment reports the new data from Surfers Against Sewage, focusing on the 14,000 hours of spills during heatwaves and the 43,000 total hours. It includes the charity's point that spills happen even without rain, and Southern Water's defence.
- “The charity's point is that it's happening anyway”
- “Southern Water have said in a statement that most of the activity happened during periods of heavy rainfall in mid to late August primarily over a four-day period”
This segment repeats the same data and analysis as the Mornings segment, but with a slightly more neutral tone, noting the campaign group's long history and the government's response. It also mentions the petition.
- “That headline claim, 14,000 hours spilled during the three heat waves, is being focused on”
- “But ultimately they've long campaigned on this”
This report leads with the personal story of a child who fell ill, and highlights the petition delivery to Downing Street. It includes the data and the response from Wessex Water.
- “I won't let them go in the water again and to be honest they're too frightened.”
- “They seem to trip over under quite light rainfall and sometimes under no rainfall whatsoever.”
This is the most comprehensive report, covering the petition delivery, the personal story, the data, and the government's response. It includes a celebrity endorsement and highlights the ongoing pollution alerts.
- “This has to stop, this can't happen again.”
- “We all pay our water bills and it keeps going up.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.