Reduction in sewage discharges should not be mistaken for progress

• There were 291,492 sewage discharge events in 2025, a 35% reduction on 2024

• Total discharge duration also fell by nearly 50%

• These reductions were expected due to 2025 being an exceptionally dry year; The Rivers Trust is clear that nearly 300,000 pollution events is still unacceptable and reflects decades of underinvestment and regulatory failure

We expected to see a lower number of untreated sewage discharges in 2025 as it was such a dry year, but this should not be mistaken for progress. Nearly 300,000 in England is still far too many and many of these will be happening on dry days and therefore illegal. In fact, the impact of those discharges will be even worse when rivers are running low. Each discharge will be more concentrated, more damaging, and more dangerous for already stressed ecosystems. At the same time, more people will be taking to rivers and seas to cool down on hot days, putting public health directly at risk. There is a lot of public money now being spent on water infrastructure after decades of underinvestment and regulatory failure. We need to know this is being spent in the right ways to put an end to pollution and protect both people and nature.

Michelle Walker, Technical Director