This is the shocking number of times smelly sewage spills into our river in Milton Keynes over the course of a year

Data from The Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency has shown just how many times sewages spills over into our rivers in Milton Keynes.

The data shows raw sewage discharges polluted every corner of England and Wales last year – and MK was no exception.

During 2022 there were 67 separate incidents of spillages in MK and they lasted for a total of 500 hours – 20 days.

Sewage and wastewater contain bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses that can cause serious lung and intestinal infections in humans.

The effect on wildlife can also be devastating too, as the sewage encourages the growth of planktonic algal, which causes algal bloom – a potential killer for fish.

Experts at Water UK, the membership body representing the nation’s water industry, say “more should be done” to address the issue and say there are plans to stop it.

A spokesperson said: “We recognise that more should have been done to address the issue of spillages sooner. We have listened and have an unprecedented plan to start to put it right. Over the next seven years water and sewerage companies plan to spend £10 billion in the biggest transformation of our sewers since the Victorian era.”

The Rivers Trust is also pushing for improvements. A spokesperson said: "Near real-time data on sewage discharges is the next key step in understanding pollution and how to stop it, so we were pleased when the water industry announced that it will be publishing that data this year. To us, it's absolutely vital that the data is published in a way that is accessible to the public. We want to see it all in one place, and with enough detail for people to see what's happening on their nearest river or watercourse."

The government plans to tighten up its regulations of sewage spillages and introduce tougher penalties for water companies when it happens.

A Defra spokesperson said: “Our ambitious Plan for Water sets out the increased investment, tougher enforcement and tighter regulation needed to clean up our waterways. We have recently confirmed £1.1 billion in new, accelerated investment to tackle storm overflows.

“We have driven up the number of storm overflows monitored across the network, from just 7% in 2010 to 91% now monitored. Under the Environment Act, water companies must improve transparency by reporting on discharges from storm overflows in near real-time by March 2025.

“We have also set the strictest targets ever on water companies to reduce sewage discharges through our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, which will drive the largest infrastructure programme in their history – an estimated £56 billion in capital investment over the next 25 years, driving more improvements.”

Defra has also introduced a requirement for water companies to improve transparency by making the impacts of storm overflow discharge available in near real time to the public.

Storm overflows are strictly regulated through permits issued by the Environment Agency. If a storm overflow discharges at times when it is not permitted to, the Environment Agency can require the water company to take action.