Jonah Fisher

Analysis indicates that more than 80% of sewage spills in England over the past two years occurred during normal weather conditions, making them potentially illegal under UK law. Using a previously undisclosed definition of heavy rain from court documents, campaigner Peter Hammond found that most discharges happened when rain levels were too low to justify legal spills. The Environment Agency disputes the analysis, citing regional rainfall differences, while also facing criticism for inadequate enforcement. The Office for Environmental Protection has already ruled that the agency was misapplying legislation on sewage discharge. Water companies maintain that spills should occur only in exceptional circumstances and say they are working to eliminate them.