The Environment Secretary has described the number of spills from storm overflows as “disgraceful” as new figures were released today (27 March).  

The figures show a slight drop in the total number of spills compared to 2023. However, the total duration of spills has increased – with 3,614,428 hours recorded across the year.  

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: 

These figures are disgraceful and are a stark reminder of how years of underinvestment have led to water companies discharging unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes, and seas. 

We’ve already placed water companies under tough special measures through the landmark Water Act, banning unfair bonuses for polluting water bosses and introducing criminal charges for lawbreakers. 

But we will go further and faster. That’s why this government has secured over £100 billion of private sector investment to upgrade our crumbling infrastructure and not only clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good, but also help deliver economic growth across the country as part of our Plan for Change.

The government is prioritising water infrastructure upgrades, with £104 billion of private-sector investment secured for the next five years. This will be invested into the water sector and will mean spills are cut by 45% by 2030 from 2021 levels, according to Ofwat. 

We have also commissioned a full review into the sector to deliver lasting reforms that will clean up our waterways for good.

To further reduce the frequency and duration of storm overflow spills, Defra recently published new storm overflow guidance for water companies and regulators. This guidance directs investment toward the most environmentally sensitive sites to better protect nature.  

Under this new government guidance, agreed as part of the price review process (PR24), improvements are being prioritised to focus water company investment on better wastewater management and enhancing bathing water quality nationwide. 

This follows the Water (Special Measures) Act passing into law last month, which gives regulators stronger powers to crack down on polluting water companies. It allows faster penalties, bans bonuses for failing executives, and introduces independent monitoring of every sewage outlet. Water companies must now publish real-time data on emergency overflows, with spills reported within an hour of the initial event. 

The £104 billion investment will be rolled out over the next five years, marking the largest upgrade to water infrastructure since privatisation. This will drive forward 150 major infrastructure projects – creating over 30,000 jobs across the country, supporting the building of 1.5 million new homes and powering new industries such as gigafactories and data centres. 

The Independent Water Commission, launched by the government last year and led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend long-term reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system. This will help the government to establish a resilient and innovative water sector and a robust regulatory framework.