Surfers Against Sewage 2026 report paints a bleak picture of UK water quality
Cornwall-based charity calls for a complete overhaul of the UK’s water system to end sewage pollution and protect public health.
The state of the UK’s waterways remains deeply concerning, according to Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), whose 2026 report highlights the scale of sewage pollution, the risks to public health and the failure of existing regulatory systems to hold polluters accountable.
Provisional figures analysed by the Cornwall-based charity reveal 500,554 confirmed discharges of untreated sewage across the UK in 2025, lasting a staggering 3,000,204 hours.
The findings paint a troubling picture of a water system that continues to put the environment and the health of water users at risk, despite longstanding commitments to reduce pollution.
Sewage spills continue, even in dry weather
Perhaps most alarming is that the number of storm overflow discharges increased in 2025 compared with 2024, despite the year being drier. Storm overflows are intended to operate during exceptional weather conditions, such as heavy rainfall, when the sewerage system risks becoming overwhelmed. Yet SAS's analysis suggests that sewage spills continue to occur during drier periods, when people are more likely to enter rivers and the sea to cool off.
Freedom of Information (FOI) data collected in 2026 indicates that the problem persists. At least 70,400 hours of dry-weather sewage discharges were recorded during the first six months of the year alone.
Transparency is another major concern. Water companies in England are required to publish information about storm overflow discharges within one hour of an event starting and ending. However, SAS recorded reporting delays exceeding one hour in 50,000 sewage discharge episodes across England during the first half of 2026 — equivalent to 12% of all reported discharges.
These delays leave people without timely information about potential pollution, making it harder to assess whether entering the water is safe.
Water companies are falling short of pollution targets
Under the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, introduced pursuant to the Environment Act 2021, storm overflows should not discharge more than ten times a year on average by 2050.
Yet the latest figures suggest that progress remains inadequate. In 2025, 24% of storm overflows in England met the definition of “high-frequency spillers”, discharging more than 30 times during the year. More than 500 overflows affecting designated bathing waters discharged over ten times.
The figures raise serious questions about whether existing targets and enforcement measures are sufficient to bring sewage pollution under control.
The human cost of contaminated water
The consequences extend far beyond environmental damage. According to SAS, there were 35,000 sewage discharges into UK bathing waters in 2025, lasting a combined 191,000 hours.
Behind these figures are people whose health and lives have been affected by exposure to contaminated water.
In Hove, where bathing water is classified as “excellent”, Katharine contracted cryptosporidiosis and a bacterial infection after swimming in contaminated seawater. The infections caused the function of her transplanted kidney to deteriorate, with lasting consequences for her health and quality of life.
Since beginning its nationwide records in 2019, SAS has received 9,361 reports of sewage-related illness. In Scotland alone, the charity has received 120 such reports, 46% of which involved bathing waters rated “good” or “excellent”.
Among the most tragic cases is that of Heather Maughan, who died from an E. coli infection after swimming in contaminated waters in Devon more than two decades ago. Other cases illustrate the potentially severe consequences of sewage exposure. Ten-year-old Ollie, for example, was hospitalised for ten days with a serious infection after swimming in Wales’ Taf Fechan river.
These accounts underscore the limitations of relying on bathing water classifications alone to communicate the risks faced by swimmers.
A public health problem that remains underreported
Children, older people, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems can face greater risks from exposure to polluted water. Raw sewage can contain harmful pathogens, while the release of antibiotics into waterways can contribute to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance, potentially making some infections harder to treat.
Despite these risks, the Environment Agency's bathing water monitoring focuses on just two bacterial indicators and is conducted only during part of the year at designated bathing sites. This means that existing monitoring cannot provide a complete picture of every potential health risk, at every location and at all times.
The scale of sewage-related illness is also difficult to establish. SAS relies on people voluntarily reporting their experiences, and there is no comprehensive formal reporting system covering these cases. The charity's figures are therefore likely to represent only a fraction of the true number of people affected.
In 2025 alone, 1,568 people reported sewage-related illness to SAS. Collectively, they took 3,146 days off work — equivalent to approximately 12 years of full-time working days.
The potential public health implications are substantial. An estimated 20.5 million people participate in water-based and boating activities across the UK each year, exposing a large proportion of the population to potential risks when waterways are contaminated.
The consequences are not limited to physical illness. Access to water and nature can support mental wellbeing, while time spent outdoors may also contribute to managing chronic pain and certain musculoskeletal and cardiovascular conditions. When pollution makes waterways unsafe or discourages people from using them, these benefits can be compromised.
Contaminated waters may also damage local economies, particularly in areas that depend on coastal tourism and recreational swimming. For seaside communities, sewage pollution threatens not only public health but also livelihoods and confidence in the natural environment.
Scotland: a monitoring gap hides the full picture
Scotland's figures are also concerning. Scottish Water recorded at least 100,044 sewage discharges in 2025, lasting a total of 276,759 hours.
However, these figures cover only the 30% of the sewerage network that is monitored. The true scale of sewage pollution could therefore be considerably greater, highlighting the need for more comprehensive monitoring and public access to reliable information.
Wales: routine discharges and weak accountability
In Wales, Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water), a not-for-profit company providing sewerage services to the vast majority of the country, also faces serious questions over its environmental performance.
SAS recorded 3,358 discharges from overflows in Wales in 2025. The frequency of these events raises concerns about whether infrastructure designed for emergencies is effectively being used as part of routine operations.
The charity also recorded more than 7,000 “unpermitted” sewage discharges, a category specific to Wales. Llanfachraeth Wastewater Treatment Works was responsible for 366 of these incidents — an average of approximately one discharge per day.
Regulatory oversight is another source of concern. A Senedd committee concluded that Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the country's environmental regulator, lacked the capacity to hold polluters adequately accountable. Questions over funding, resources and regulatory effectiveness continue to cast doubt on whether the current system can deliver meaningful improvements.
Northern Ireland: sewage data that the public cannot access
In Northern Ireland, the situation is particularly troubling. A total of 9,496 sewage discharges were recorded in 2025, although only 19% of the sewerage network is monitored, meaning the figures are likely to underestimate the true scale of the problem.
Despite Northern Ireland Water's commitment in 2023 to pilot near-real-time sewage discharge data, residents still lack access to comprehensive, real-time information about sewage spills. People are consequently left guessing whether it is safe to enter the water.
This lack of transparency is especially difficult to justify given that Northern Ireland Water operates 466 Event Duration Monitors (EDMs), which record the frequency and duration of sewage spills. The monitoring infrastructure exists, but the resulting information is not made readily available to water users.
Discharge data can take more than a year to be released, in stark contrast to the one-hour reporting requirement in England.
A public alert system, Swim NI, was launched in 2022 to provide warnings for six popular bathing waters across Northern Ireland. However, the project was discontinued in 2026, leaving swimmers without an important source of public safety information.
Without timely access to reliable data, people cannot make informed decisions about the risks of swimming, surfing or other recreational activities.
Privatisation, rising bills and mounting debt
SAS's report also raises broader questions about the structure of the UK's water industry. England is widely recognised as having the only fully privatised water and sewerage system in the world.
Since privatisation, household bills have risen substantially, while water companies have paid an estimated £85 billion to shareholders and accumulated £69.2 billion in debt.
A new opportunity for reform
SAS argues that meaningful change will require more than incremental improvements. In England, the proposed Clean Water Bill, announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and expected later in 2026, could provide an opportunity to tackle sewage pollution and strengthen protections for waterways.
However, legislation alone will not guarantee results. Commitments must be backed by clear targets, effective oversight and robust enforcement.
The UK government established a Public Health Taskforce in 2026 to advise the Cabinet on public health risks associated with recreational water use. At the time covered by the report, however, the taskforce had yet to put forward any recommendations.
A call for a water system that puts people and nature first
SAS is calling on the government to establish a clear roadmap for a water system that serves both people and the environment. Its demands include stronger regulatory oversight, legal accountability for water companies that cannot be undermined by loopholes, and effective enforcement of penalties against polluters.
The charity's findings suggest that sewage pollution is not an isolated problem, nor one confined to a single region. From Scotland and Wales to England and Northern Ireland, gaps in monitoring, delayed reporting and concerns about regulatory accountability continue to undermine public confidence.
Ultimately, the issue is about more than statistics. It concerns the health of people who swim in the UK's rivers and seas, the wildlife that depends on clean waterways, and the communities whose livelihoods are tied to the natural environment.
The question now is whether governments and regulators will turn longstanding promises into meaningful action — before more people pay the price for a system that continues to fail them.