England now pays to drink double their own Excrement in year

Some 72% of England's water is owned by shareholders based in 17 foreign countries. At least another 10% is controlled by companies based in the UK, with 18% unaccounted for. This is not just about foreign involvement but also about a lack of accountability. English water companies have handed more than £2bn a year on average to shareholders since they were privatised three decades ago, according to analysis for the Guardian. The payouts in dividends to shareholders of parent companies between 1991 and 2019 amount to £57bn – nearly half the sum they spent on maintaining and improving the country’s pipes and treatment plants in that period. That is now around £65 billion.



Water companies in England have faced a barrage of criticism as data revealed raw sewage was discharged for more than 3.6million hours into rivers and seas last year in a 105% increase on the previous 12 months.The scale of the discharges of untreated waste made 2023 the worst year for storm water pollution. Early data seen by the Guardian put the scale of discharges at more than 4 million hours, but officials said the figures were an early estimate. Every river in England is polluted with raw sewage.



The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, said the scandal of raw sewage pouring into waterways should be declared a national environmental emergency. He called on the government to convene an urgent meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) to look at the impact of sewage pollution on people’s health.Total discharges from the 14,000 storm overflows owned by English water companies that release untreated sewage into rivers and coastal waters increased by 54% to 464,056, according to data submitted to the Environment Agency by the industry.



Boat organisers have warned rowers to not enter the water on safety grounds after high levels of E coli bacteria were found on the River Thames course The new safety guidance could see the end of the traditional celebration for the winning team, where team members jump into the river and the cox gets a ducking. The 78th women’s race and 169th men’s race are still due to take place this weekend. Last year, Cambridge men’s cox Jasper Parish was thrown into the Thames at Mortlake, as is the tradition at the end of the race. But a repeat is now unlikely after the River Action campaign group found an average of 2,869 E coli colony-forming units (CFU) per 100ml of water in 16 tests around Hammersmith Bridge.

inews.co.uk/news/environment/sewage-spills-more-than-double-record-4m-in-2023-2977099
www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2022/nov/30/englands-water-the-worlds-piggy-bank#:~:text=Guardian%20research%20has%20found%20that,about%20a%20lack%20of%20accountability.