Defra have responded (22/8/22) to the recent coverage around recent surface water flooding and storm overflow discharges, including the claims concerning the faulty sewage monitors in England and Wales.

The UK government press office wrote in their recent blog post: ‘Untreated sewage can be devastating to human health, local biodiversity and our environment which is why we have been clear that water companies must take urgent action to address sewage discharges.

Some parts of England saw surface water flooding last week, as rain fell on very hard ground after weeks of prolonged dry weather. Water quality was temporarily affected in some areas as a result, reinforcing the need for robust action from water companies to reduce discharges from storm overflows.

That’s why we are already taking action. We are the first Government to set an expectation on water companies to significantly reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows.

The Strategic Policy Statement, laid in Parliament in February, sets out to Ofwat – the water regulator – our expectations for the sector over the next five year spending cycle and beyond. It makes clear that Ofwat and water companies should prioritise action on the environment, deliver a resilient and sustainable water supply, and significantly reduce the frequency and volume of discharges from storm overflows.’

Earlier in the day (22/8/22) there were numerous reports that monitors being used for measuring the amount of sewage being pumped into the sea across the UK are faulty or not even installed. This was based on Liberal Democrat statements and the party’s analysis said that Environment Agency data showed water companies are failing to monitor sewage discharges along the coastline including at British seaside resorts. The Lib Dems stated that sewage monitors installed by UK water firms did not work “90% of the time”.

The news of the analysis from the Liberal Democrats was reported by several outlets, including: Sky, ITV, the Guardian and the BBC.

The Defra Twitter feed responded to the claims:

What is undisputed is that the storm overflows were in operation over the recent period of heavy rain, as covered by the BBC. What is also clear is that the water firms are facing growing criticism on storm overflows, coastal, lake and river water quality.