This is the shocking moment that sewage appears in a river despite recent dry weather.
Only untreated human waste can legally be released into Britain’s waterways if there is heavy rainfall. If this happens, the sewerage system will overflow and sewage could return to homes.
Professor Jamie Woodward, Greater Manchester’s River Tame, captured footage showing sewage flowing into the murky brown water Wednesday.
Yesterday Prof Woodward wrote: “The River Tame at Dukinfield in Greater Manchester.” In dry weather, turbid brown untreated wastewater is released into low flows. This is why Tame is so heavily contaminated by microplastics.
United Utilities commented on the post and claimed that the sewage had been treated.
An MP warned that climate change could lead to more sewage being pumped into rivers.
Untreated human waste cannot legally be released into Britain’s waterways except in extreme cases of heavy rainfall, which can overload the sewerage system and risk sending sewage back to homes.
A United Utilities spokesman wrote: ‘We’ve looked into your concerns at this location & can confirm this is not untreated sewage. It is treated effluent and has been discharged to Dukinfield treatment plants. We can assure that it meets the strict standards of the environment agency.
Andrew Jones, Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, stated that heavy rainfall could cause untreated human waste to build up in waterways.
On Wednesday, he wrote to his constituents: “In times of the most heavy rain the system may be unable to handle the volume water so to prevent the sewer back up and flooding into homes and roads the overspill will be released into rivers or the sea.
“I agree that this is happening too often and with climate change causing more severe events, it could get worse.”
It has been reported that water companies will not be allowed by customers to pay for the solution to sewage overflow issues.
The Telegraph reported that government sources and Ofwat, the pricing regulator, denied that bills would rise to pay for improvements in the UK’s sewer network.
It comes after John Leyland, the Environment Agency’s chief of staff, warned Britons to not risk swimming in the country’s rivers amid continuing concern over sewage being dumped into them.
Swimmers were also warned to avoid Traeth Benllech, Anglesey, after sewage was pumped into nearby waters earlier in the week.
Ministers have U-turned this week to insist that water companies will be punished for overflowing the sewers
Peers had suggested an amendment to Environment Bill last week to cut down on pollution. However, the new law was defeated by Tory MPs in a Commons vote. This led to a backlash among eco-campaigners.
The House of Lords was expected to reinstate its amendment to the Bill – forcing ministers to backtrack.
Meanwhile, drone footage emerged on Monday showing untreated sewage pouring into Langstone Harbour in Hampshire between October 20 and 22.
Facing defeat in Parliament, Environment Secretary George Eustice pledged an amendment to enshrine in law a new duty ‘to ensure water companies secure a progressive reduction in the adverse impacts of discharges from storm overflows’.
Prof Woodward wrote yesterday, “The River Tame in Greater Manchester At Dukinfield.” Untreated turbid brown wastewater is released into low flows during dry conditions. This is why Tame has been so heavily contaminated.
Professor Jamie Woodward, Greater Manchester, captured footage showing sewage flowing into the murky brown water.
Combined sewer overflows, which are safety release valves that pump human waste from the sewage into rivers or seas during heavy rainfall, prevent waste from backing up in homes.
They have been the topic of public debate for the past week, after Tory MPs voted down an amendment to Environment Bill that would have placed a legal obligation on water companies to prevent raw sewage being dumped into waterways.
All Conservative MPs in north Wales voted against this amendment, except Sarah Atherton, Wrexham MP who did not register to vote.
Rivers Trust has created an interactive map that shows where the sewerage network discharges into rivers. The brown areas indicate where spillages occurred in the last 24 hours.
Professor Woodward shared a graph that showed how the water levels did not rise before the sewage was released into River Tame
Following a U-turn from ministers, water companies will be forced reduce the amount sewage they pump into rivers or seas. It follows video showing untreated waste pouring into Langstone Harbour (Hampshire) for 49 hours (pictured).
The larger spots are the areas that have seen more than 100 spills during this period.
They show sewage leakages in several major rivers of north Wales, including the Afon Difrdwy (River Dee), and Afon Conwy.
According to the Rivers Trust, people should “avoid entering the water immediately downstream from these discharges and avoid overflows (brown circle), especially after it has rained”.
People can get sick if they drink sewage-contaminated water. It can contain risk bacteria like salmonella and E.coli.
Septic water has been linked to diseases like leptospirosis, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B.
Rivers Trust has created an interactive map that shows where the sewerage network discharges into rivers. The brown areas indicate where spillages occurred in the last 24 hours.
The River Tame’s brown spots indicate where waste was released in the past
A D*r Cymru spokesperson said: ‘Our combined storm overflows (CSOs) play an essential role in stopping sewage from backing up into customers’ properties during periods of heavy rain. They are designed to release stormwater into rivers or the ocean. Their operation is tightly controlled and monitored by Natural Resources Wales.
“Due the heavy rainfall in the Benllech area, Wednesday, we had a consented leak from our CSO Benllech. This is in compliance with the operating permit issued by NRW.
“We are committed to being transparent and open with our spill data and provide real-time spill information on identified beaches (which includes Benllech) to interested groups to notify them about a spill.”
Film footage taken last week showed untreated wastewater being released from Southern Water’s Budds farm treatment plant. The outfall is 7ft wide and leads to Langstone Harbour, a conservation zone in Hampshire.
Alex Ford, professor at University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Marine Science, stated to MailOnline that crabs found in the harbour have low numbers of sperm due to the sewage.
He stated that chemicals released with wastewater discharges are accumulating and affecting wildlife, such as whales or dolphins.
These include plastic additives, flame-retardants, and non-stick/stain chemical from frying pans and fabrics.
“We often think of sewage in terms of faeces, but it’s also all the shampoos, powders, and soaps we use, as well as pharmaceuticals (e.g. antidepressants) we excrete.
“We studied the sperm count in Langstone Harbour, where the drone footage was taken, and found that the crustaceans had low sperm counts.”
According to the Environment Agency (EAR), untreated sewage was pumped into rivers and beaches in England more than 400,000.
MailOnline reached out the Environment Agency to request comment.