Sewage pollution in England’s rivers and seas has become one of the biggest environmental scandals of our time. Here’s what’s going wrong, who’s fighting back and what we can all do to help

If you watched Channel 4’s Dirty Business earlier this year, you probably felt a mixture of anger and disbelief. The three-part docudrama brought the UK’s sewage crisis into the spotlight, telling the stories of real people whose lives have been devastated by polluted water. Millions are now asking: how has this been allowed to happen?

The numbers are stark. Just 14 per cent of rivers in England have good ecological status and none meet good chemical status. In 2025, more than 124,000 hours of sewage were discharged into England’s bathing waters. These are not just statistics – they represent beaches where children paddle and rivers where people swim.

What Dirty Business exposed

Dirty Business first aired in February 2026, starring David Thewlis, Jason Watkins and Posy Sterling. It’s based on a decade-long investigation into sewage contamination in Oxfordshire by two neighbours – retired detective Ashley Smith and Professor Peter Hammond – who noticed fish dying in the River Windrush and uncovered evidence of systematic failure by water companies.

At its heart is Julie Maughan, whose eight-year-old daughter Heather died after contracting E. coli on a Devon beach in 1999. The series also follows Reuben Santer, a surfer diagnosed with an incurable ear disorder after surfing in polluted water. Since 2019, more than 7,400 people have reported sewage-related illness to Surfers Against Sewage – likely just the tip of the iceberg.

Who is fighting back?

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) started in a Cornwall church hall in 1990 and has grown into a nationwide movement of ‘Ocean Activists’. It runs the free Safer Seas & Rivers Service app for real-time sewage alerts and, following Dirty Business, launched a petition that reached 200,000 signatures within weeks. SAS is calling on the government to end the profit-driven sewage scandal.

The Marine Conservation Society has taken legal action against the UK Government and works with more than 40 organisations under the Clean Water Now banner. Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP), the group that inspired Dirty Business,
has launched a petition for a referendum on returning water to public ownership. Friends of the Earth also campaigns for stronger regulation.

Why does sewage end up in our waterways?

There is no single cause. Ageing infrastructure, underinvestment, population growth and changing land use all combine to overwhelm a system never designed for modern demands.

Much of England’s sewage network dates from the Victorian era. These combined sewers carry rainwater and wastewater in the same pipe. During heavy rainfall, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) release diluted sewage into rivers and the sea to prevent it flooding homes. Campaigners say the scale of these discharges has become completely unacceptable. Run-off from roads, meanwhile, carries oil, chemicals and litter into drains.

Water companies have paid out billions in dividends since privatisation while infrastructure investment has lagged – Southern Water was fined £90 million in 2021 for deliberately dumping raw sewage. New housing adds more wastewater to a network not built for today’s population. And when front gardens are paved over, rainwater that once soaked into the ground goes straight into sewers – in London, an area 22 times the size of Hyde Park has been paved over.

What can we do at home?

Being mindful of water use is a good starting point. Shorter showers, fixing dripping taps and running full loads in the washing machine all reduce the volume entering the sewer system. Installing a water butt collects rainwater from your roof, keeping it out of the drains and giving you free water for the garden.

Never pour fats, oils or grease down the sink – they solidify inside pipes, creating blockages known as fatbergs. And remember that only poo, pee and toilet paper should be flushed. Wet wipes cause more than 90 per cent of sewer blockages, even those labelled ‘flushable’.

Keep green space where you can – every unpaved square metre absorbs rainwater naturally. And add your voice: sign the SAS petition, write to your MP, download the Safer Seas & Rivers Service app and support the organisations fighting for change.

How these actions score on the etheco 4Ps

At etheco, we look at decisions through the lens of people, planet, pocket and performance.

• Planet: less water in the sewer system means fewer overflows. Keeping fats and wipes out of pipes prevents blockages that lead to raw sewage spills in our rivers and seas.
• People: cleaner waterways mean less risk of illness for swimmers, surfers and families. Dirty Business is a stark reminder that this is a public health crisis, not an abstract issue.
• Pocket: using less water and collecting rainwater can save around £100 a year on metered bills, according to the Energy Saving Trust. A water butt provides free water for the garden too.
• Performance: individual actions matter, but so does collective pressure. Signing petitions, contacting MPs and supporting campaign groups pushes water companies to invest and holds the government to account.

Sewage pollution is not a problem any of us can solve alone. But small changes at home, combined with sustained public pressure, are already shifting the debate. Dirty Business showed the country what campaigners have said for decades. Now is the time to act.

References

Channel 4 (2026), Dirty Business, three-part docudrama, aired 23–25 February 2026.
Environment Agency (2020), Combined Sewer Overflows Explained, blog post.
House of Lords Library (2024), River pollution and the regulation of private water companies.
London National Park City (2025), London’s Sewage Crisis: How We Can Save Our Rivers.
Surfers Against Sewage (2026), End Sewage Pollution campaign update and Dirty Business petition.
Surfers Against Sewage (2026), Dirty Business: Real People Behind the Sewage Drama.
University of Oxford (2023), New study finds that sewage release is worse for rivers than agriculture.
Energy Saving Trust (2025), Simple ways to save water at home.
Marine Conservation Society (2026), Support Our Campaigns – sewage and ocean pollution.
Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP), windrushwasp.org.