Sewage UK: High groundwater levels causing sewage to overflow into rivers - the 's*** keeps coming' as water bills to rise

Groundwater levels have been high this winter after an extremely wet autumn and it has caused sewage works to fail and raw waste to overflow into UK rivers and seas. On X, formerly known as Twitter, the water industry has been criticised for allowing this to happen when “we gave them money to upgrade all the sewage works”. 

One user posted on X: “They were supposed to have upgraded all the sewage works and we gave them the money to do it. But they pocketed the money and are now trying to get it off us again by increasing water charges. And the s*** keeps on coming.”

Paul Jennings, a river activist from Yorkshire, has been documenting groundwater levels and its link to sewage overflows. He previously told NationalWorld that raw sewage has been spilling onto streets in Kilhman, East Yorkshire, “since early December” due to a “high level of groundwater being experienced”. He added that Yorkshire Water’s “design has failed” as the “increased volume is causing a failure of the network and the sewage treatment works are unable to process all the diluted sewage.”

Today (February 3) Mr Jennings posted on X that “groundwater ingress of the sewer network” is “continuing” in Kilham. He said: “The people of @YorkshireWater have laid on tankers in an attempt to mitigate the sewage discharge. This is better than it being pumped into the local chalk stream but we will need a long term solution.”

Replying to his tweets, Karen Shackleton, founder of campaign ground Ilkley Clean River group said: “Groundwater is not a legal excuse to dump sewage.” On 26 January the Environment Agency confirmed, by posting on its website, that “minor groundwater flood impacts” are “occurring in Hampshire” and the “sewerage network in numerous villages will continue to be affected.”

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson had also previously confirmed to NationalWorld that “groundwater levels in some parts of the East Riding are at the highest on record for this time of year” due to an “extremely wet autumn that included a series of named storms”. The spokesperson said: “As a result, there are significant natural spring flows around Kilham and some boreholes in the area are around the highest levels recorded.”

The high groundwater levels putting pressure on the sewage networks and releasing waste into rivers and seas comes as the water industry plans to hike water bills by 6% from 1 April. Mark Barrow, underwater filmmaker at Beneath British Waters, told NationalWorld that the water bill hike is “not on”. He said: “Why should the customer pick up the tab for their incompetence?  It is high time the government stepped in and said enough is enough, but they won't.”

He added: “It is a disgrace, embarrassment and we should be ashamed of what we have created, all due to water companies caring for the environment or in effect not. Ask you this, will one water boss join me in the water of a river of my choosing to see truly what they are doing? Do they possess a backbone?”.

In response to high groundwater levels causing more sewage overflows, a spokesperson from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said: “Our ambitious Plan for Water sets out the increased investment, tougher enforcement and tighter regulation needed to clean up our waterways and tackle the issue. We have recently confirmed £1.1 billion in new, accelerated investment to tackle storm overflows. 

“We have also set the strictest targets ever on water companies to reduce sewage spills and are requiring them to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in their history – an estimated £56 billion in capital investment over the next 25 years, driving more improvements.” 

In response to water bills increasing, David Henderson, Water UK Chief Executive, said: “Next year will see record levels of investment from water companies to secure the security of our water supply in the future and significantly reduce the amount of sewage in rivers and seas. Up and down the country customers will see the results of this investment with more than 2,000 kilometres of pipes being repaired or replaced and more capacity to treat sewage than ever before.

“At the same time support for customers is doubling with more than 2 million families now being with helped with their bills. Anyone with worries should contact their water company and, it is worth remembering, water companies will never cut anyone off or make them use a prepayment meter.”