Thames Water, the largest privatised water company in England, faced intense scrutiny after releasing a record 50% more raw sewage into English rivers compared to the previous year. The company, grappling with £19bn in debt and on the brink of collapse, was responsible for nearly 300,000 hours of raw sewage discharge into waterways in 2024, up from 196,414 hours in 2023.

This data, disclosed by analyst Peter Hammond in response to an environmental information request, emerged shortly after the Court of Appeal approved a £3bn emergency debt bailout for Thames Water. Environmental campaigners and a few of the company’s creditors challenged the bailout, arguing it would perpetuate a “Thames Water debt doom loop” and advocating for temporary nationalisation as a more effective solution.

Thames Water blamed its aged and crumbling infrastructure, which has been subjected to inadequate investment for decades, for the sewage issues. The water company plans to raise household bills by 59% over the next five years to fund necessary repairs and upgrades, a proposal far exceeding Ofwat’s approved 35% increase.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed has set a target to reduce the average number of spills per sewage overflow to 10 by 2050. However, in 2024, Thames Water reported an average of 45.2 spills per overflow, highlighting the significant challenge in managing and upgrading the antiquated system.

Critics like Ash Smith of Windrush Against Sewage argue that Thames Water’s reliance on dumping sewage, while profiting from dividends and bonuses, reflects a systemic failure exacerbated by the regulator’s inaction.

Thames Water contends that the 2024 increase in discharges correlates with exceptionally high rainfall and groundwater levels. They assert their commitment to substantial investment in infrastructure improvements and transparency, citing their initiative in publishing real-time data on their website before it became a legal requirement.

Professor Peter Hammond, a retired computational biology expert from University College London, has been pivotal in uncovering the extent of raw sewage discharges by water companies. His evidence revealed that these discharges were far more frequent than the Environment Agency initially estimated, leading to significant investigations into the matter.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/18/thames-water-data-reveals-raw-sewage-discharges-rivers-2024