Campaigners have insisted that “heads need to roll” after the number of serious pollution incidents caused by water firms across England rose by 60% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Three water firms – Thames Water, Southern Water and Yorkshire Water – were responsible for 81% of the serious incidents, according to the Environment Agency (EA).

Thames Water was responsible for 33, Southern Water for 15 and Yorkshire Water for 13. Clean water campaigner Feargal Sharkey said: “So exactly how effectively has government, water industry and regulators been in dealing with pollution, sewage dumping and the despicable state of our rivers and beaches in the last 12 months?

“It's over. Enough of the niceties, the finger wagging, the pointless foot stamping, heads need to roll.”

The EA assesses all pollution incidents from water firms into categories, with category 1 (major) and category 2 (significant) being the most serious, which can have a highly negative impact on wildlife, ecosystems and swimmers. Last year, 75 category 1 and 2 incidents were recorded, up from 47 serious incidents the previous year.

River Action CEO James Wallace said: “These figures expose a brutal truth: serious pollution incidents are rising, sewage discharges remain rampant, and our rivers are spiralling toward ecological collapse. This is not just regulatory failure; it is a national disgrace.”

He added: “On Monday, the Independent Water Commission must recommend a complete overhaul of water company finance and governance and regulatory reform  to have any hope to end this crisis. 

Just two companies – Northumbrian Water and Wessex Water – had no serious incidents last year, meeting the Environment Agencies expectations to see a trend to zero pollution incidents by 2025.

Overall, the watchdog said all pollution incidents increased by 29% with water companies recording 2,801, up from 2,174 in 2023.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “These figures are disgraceful and are a stark reminder of how years of underinvestment and weak regulation have led to record levels of sewage polluting our rivers.

“In just one year, this new Government has banned unfair bonuses for polluting water bosses, brought in jail sentences for pollution,  and secured £104 billion to upgrade crumbling sewage pipes - one of the biggest infrastructure investments in history.” 

The EA said it was clear some companies are failing to meet its targets.

It attributed the rise in incidents last year to persistent underinvestment in new infrastructure, poor asset maintenance, and reduced resilience because of the impacts of climate change.

But it is understood the agency is still investigating the pollution incidents and their causes more closely to understand the major increase and decide on any action, particularly at Thames, which saw serious incidents double from 14 to 33.

Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency said:  “This report demonstrates continued systemic failure by some companies to meet their environmental targets. 

“The water industry must act urgently to prevent pollution from occurring and to respond rapidly when it does.  

“We have made significant changes to tighten our regulation of the water industry and ensure companies are held to account. With a dedicated larger workforce and increased funding, our officers are uncovering and acting on failures to comply with environmental law.” 

A Water UK spokesman said: “While there have been some improvements it is clear that the performance of some companies is not good enough. The Environment Agency is right to highlight underinvestment in infrastructure and maintenance as the major causes of these results. Investment in the sector has been suppressed with Ofwat prioritising short -term cuts to people’s water bills over the long-term resilience of the network. This is finally being put right, with a record £104 billion investment over the next 5-years to secure our water supplies, support economic growth and end sewage entering our rivers and seas.

“However, fundamental change to regulation is also needed. We hope that the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission next week will ensure the sector continues to get the investment it needs to drive down pollution incidents.”