Overview
- The Environment Agency said 2025 saw 1.87 million spill hours across 291,492 incidents, almost half the hours and 35% fewer incidents than in 2024.
- Officials linked the drop to an unusually dry year, and the water industry said higher investment is starting to reduce spills.
- Campaigners countered that companies dumped on dry days, citing more than 187,000 spill hours without rain in 2025 and thousands of public alerts this year.
- South West Water recorded the longest spill duration at 407,006 hours across Devon and Cornwall, and the company said the region had far more rain than the rest of England.
- Storm overflows are emergency outlets that release sewage mixed with rainwater to stop homes and streets from flooding, and they are meant to run only during heavy downpours.