Raw sewage released into Luton's open water several times, figures show

Raw sewage was released into open water in Luton several times in 2022, figures show.

Storm overflows normally happen when the sewage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – such as after a heavy rain, or during higher levels of groundwater.

Water companies may need to release excess water and sewage into rivers and the sea, to prevent water from backing up into the streets and people's homes. This impacts the quality of our natural water sources, with some charities alleging storm overflows are being misused and underreported.

Figures from the Environment Agency show storm overflows were used eight times within Luton's local authority boundaries in 2022, discharging for a total of around five hours. All of these spills were from Thames Water's network.

Luton may also be impacted by overspills from areas it shares water sources with. The Rivers Trust said it was particularly concerned by storm overflows being used during hot periods – a risk as England faces a heatwave this week.

Tessa Wardley, director of communications and advocacy at the charity, said: "Discharging untreated sewage in dry weather is bad for both human health and river health – lower river flows mean more concentrated pollutants at a time when more people want to enjoy their rivers."

"Although a problem in their own right, these discharges are also the ‘canary in the coalmine’ pointing to greater problems in our sewerage and river systems. This could be blockages in the system, groundwater seeping into broken pipes, misconnections, or just poor management choices," she added.

Water minister Rebecca Pow said the amount of sewage pumped into rivers is "utterly unacceptable", adding the Government has a plan to tackle pollution.

She said: "Targets set by the Government to reduce storm overflows are very strict and are leading to the largest infrastructure programme in water company history – £56 billion over the next 25 years.

"Shortly, water companies will also publish action plans for every storm overflow in England, something the Environment Secretary has personally pressed for," she said.