Environment Agency data paints shocking picture of sewage in Torbay

South West Water’s pollution record has deteriorated even further this year, the latest Environment Agency data has revealed.

The data shows that across the country, sewage discharges doubled in 2023.

South West Water, which runs utilities in Devon, Cornwall and parts of Somerset and Dorset, discharged sewage into the region’s waterways for a total of 530,737 hours in 2023, an 82% increase from the previous year.

Across Torbay’s coast, raw sewage was discharged into the ocean for thousands of hours in 2023.

Meadfoot beach had 140 dumps, amounting to 2003 hours
Beacon Cove Beach had 66 dumps, amounting to 68 hours
Torre Abbey Beach had 190 dumps, amounting to 1682 hours
Preston Sands had 50 dumps, amounting to 78 hours
Paignton Beach had 52 dumps, amounting to 282 hours
Goodrington had 12 dumps, amounting to nine hours
St Marys Beach (Brixham) had 71 dumps, amounting to 118 hours

The situation in the rivers of the region painted an equally bleak picture. The River Teign had 3,427 sewage spills in its catchment area in 2022, up from 2,079 in 2022.

The River Dart, to which parts of Torbay’s sewage system is linked with, saw 2,862 sewage spills in 2023, almost double the 1,566 spills in 2022.

Across England, 2023 was a record year for sewage spills, with Environment Agency data showing a 105% rise in raw sewage discharges over the past 12 months.

Part of the reason for this rise is the exceptionally high rainfall. Most sewage dumps occur during exceptional weather events. During heavy rain, sewage systems can become overwhelmed. In this situation, South West Water discharges the raw sewage into rivers and the sea to prevent it from backing up in the pipes and spilling back into the homes and businesses that created it.

While the use of these sewage overflows is common and usually permitted by the Environment Agency, there has been widespread criticism around the frequency and necessity of their use. Critics say that a lack of investment in infrastructure means that England’s outdated sewerage system is inadequate for today’s needs.

The water minister, Robbie Moore, said: “Today’s data shows water companies must go further and faster to tackle storm overflows and clean up our precious waterways. We will be ensuring the Environment Agency closely scrutinises these findings and takes enforcement action where necessary.”

South West Water said: “We care about our 860m of coastline, our regions 100% bathing water quality, which we have successfully maintained for three consecutive years and protecting the environment now and in the future.

“We were one of the first water companies to have all our storm overflows monitored meaning we know exactly what is happening, when and where, allowing us to target investment and make changes where it matters most. We are serious about tackling storm overflows and change of this scale takes time, ambition, and increased investment – and that is why we are investing £850m in our region over two years.

“The increase in the storm overflow spills this year can be accounted for by the amount of named storms and weather warnings in 2023. It’s clear we need to redesign our systems, which we are already doing. We will also be the first water company to meet the Government target of less than 10 spills per overflow, per year – a decade ahead of target.”