Latest stats show 145 per cent increase in sewage spills in Bassetlaw

Data just released by the Environment Agency identify that spillages increased at every sewage storm overflow across Bassetlaw.

Across the rivers and streams there were 653 spills, an additional 12 spills a day compared with 2022.Sewage records show how during heavy rainfall overflows from sewage treatment facilities are released directly into local water courses.The storm overflow adjacent to the Langold Stream was the worst performing with 119 spills over a period of 1803 hours. Last year this recorded 47 spills over 702 hours.

Jo White said: “It’s a scandal that we are living so close to discharges like these”.In Retford there were 113 spills into the River Idle over 1,278 hours. Last year there were 13 spills for 74 hours.All of Bassetlaw’s sewage works are managed by Severn Trent.

Jo White said: “I reject the lame excuses of the industry blaming the heavy rainfall last year for the huge rise, the reality is that this increase is a reflection of the years of underinvestment by companies including Severn Trent.

"The data was bad last year and what we have now is appalling, we are a major angling centre, children and pets play in our streams and the watercourses also feed our farmers fields. We need urgent action from the Government to sort out this shocking and worsening mess”.

A spokesman for Severn Trent said £384m was being invested as part of a programme to reduce spills from storm overflows in 2024/25.

A further £1.1bn of investment is planned up to 2030 to reduce average spills to the lowest level in the water industry and £4.4bn up to 2050 to meet targets at least five years earlier than set by regulators, so that no storm overflow will spill more than 10 times a year on average.

Bob Stear, Severn Trent’s Chief Engineer said: “These types of extreme weather conditions are likely to become more typical, so we’re accelerating investment even quicker to get ahead of such intense periods of rain to reduce the number of spills from storm overflows.

“Our record investment, with £384m being spent now and a significant £1.1bn planned to deliver, shows our commitment to an ambitious programme to reduce storm overflow spills. We’re essentially re-plumbing the network and rethinking hundreds of years of engineering solutions, so change on this scale can’t happen overnight and the progress won’t always be linear, so we have in place short and long-term plans for every single storm overflow and hundreds of people working on it.

“We’re actively seeking out new innovations and smart interventions including Artificial Intelligence capabilities, with more teams of people now dedicated to our spill reduction commitments to deliver the industry leading targets. So, whilst 2023 has seen signs of climate change and exceptional weather conditions that have caused spills, we’re doing what’s needed to deliver our commitments.”