The #EndSewagePollution campaign

The UK’s water system is broken, and it’s no accident.

It’s been rigged to make sewage profitable, protect the polluters, and shut out the public.

In 2024 alone, there were nearly 1 million sewage discharges – one every 30 seconds. And while our seas and rivers choke on waste, water company bosses and shareholders are cashing in.

We’re fighting back, building a movement to hold the polluters to account and demand a water system that works for people and planet, not profit and power. And you can join us.

Find out how to take action below – and let’s flush the polluters for good.

Tell Starmer to end the sewage scandal

Watched Dirty Business on Channel 4 and feel outraged? Sign our petition to demand the government put public health first and end profit from pollution.

Sign the petition

Other ways to take action...

Get our sewage alert app

Stay safe in the water with our free app. Get real-time pollution alerts for your favourite beaches, rivers and lakes across the UK.

Submit a sickness report

Tell us if you’ve been sick after swimming, surfing or using our lakes, rivers and seas and help us to build a picture of the scale of the problem.

Packed with tips, resources and ways to influence your MP in England, this action guide is designed to equip you with the skills and confidence to lobby decision-makers, hold water companies accountable, and expose the truth about sewage pollution.

Get your MS action guide

Influence your MS in Wales. Packed with tips and resources, this action guide is designed to equip you with the skills and confidence to lobby decision-makers in the Senedd, hold water companies accountable, and expose the truth about sewage pollution in Wales.

What we’re calling for

We’re calling a full reset of the UK’s water system guided by 5 key principles:

Public and Environmental Health First
Protecting people and nature must be the legal priority – no more excuses.

Real Democratic Control
Water decisions should be made by and for communities, not behind closed doors.

Value for Money
Bills should fund clean water, not corporate bonuses. Every penny must serve the public good.

Independent, Fearless Regulators
Regulators must be empowered and resourced to enforce the law – no more toothless watchdogs.

Full Transparency
We all have the right to know what’s happening in our rivers and seas – and how our money is being spent.

We’re also pushing for urgent action that addresses specific problems in each of the devolved nations:

In Wales, we’re demanding a truly independent regulator and changes that make Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrydwy genuinely accountable.
In Scotland, we’re calling for 100% monitoring of sewage discharges and data transparency from Scottish Water.
In Northern Ireland, we’re calling for the full truth on the scale of pollution, and urgent investment in infrastructure and monitoring to help keep people safe.

This is about justice, accountability, and the right to clean, thriving blue spaces.

Find out more

Go deeper

Sewage pollution

It’s time to #EndSewagePollution once and for all.

Sewage pollution: what we stand for

We’re calling for radical reform of the broken water industry The UK consistently ranks as one of the worst European countries for water quality, thanks to the staggering amount of sewage pollution dumped in the blue spaces we love. The toxic behaviour of water companies, big business and government threatens the health…

Water pollution: facts & figures

Shocking sewage pollution facts Our wild blue spaces are under attack. Greed and profiteering are polluting our seas, lakes and rivers at an unprecedented rate. Here are the facts and figures behind the scandal:…

What has happened over the past 30 years is a disgrace. We have been paying for a vital service and the money has been given to bosses and shareholders. Now our country is being ruined by sewage pollution. Look what they have done in the name of profit! Our seas and rivers are like veins containing the life blood we and wildlife need. What right have we to poison them?

- Chris, water user