‘Rivers are for fish not human waste’

Yorkshire Water released untreated sewage into rivers and the sea for more than a quarter of a million hours in 2025, new figures reveal. Last year, which included the driest spring for 132 years, saw the number of spills fall from 88,164 to 51,404, according to the firm's records.
Yorkshire Water said the reduction was a result of big investments, but clean river campaigners said the figures were still too high and partly a result of less rainfall. Water companies are legally allowed to release untreated sewage into rivers and seas after heavy rain so that the pipe network doesn't become overwhelmed and back-up into people's homes.
Yorkshire Water said that by April 2030 it will have spent £1.5bn on improvements to 450 storm overflows.