News / Sewage Pollution
Bristol ‘fourth worst UK city for sewage spills’
Councillors will call for action on cleaning up the Avon and Frome rivers as they say Bristol is the “fourth worst UK city” for sewage spills.
Sewage is often discharged into rivers across the country during heavy storms, with the issue compounded by little investment in drainage pipes.
A debate during a full council meeting on November 12 will explore how the water quality in the city’s rivers could be improved.
A motion will be tabled by Liberal Democrat councillor Nicholas Coombes, who will try to get cross-party support for his suggestions.
Sewage in the River Trym after a downpour in 2023 – photo: Nikki Jones
The motion says: “Every river in England is now polluted beyond legal limits, with raw sewage spills from overflows contributing massively to the pollution of our waterways.
“Wessex Water provides sewerage services for our region, and in 2023 the company dumped sewage 41,453 times for a total of 372,341 hours.
“Our local rivers — including the River Avon, the River Frome, the River Malago, the River Trym, and the Brislington Brook — are particularly threatened by further sewage discharges.
“In 2023, Bristol had 4,433 sewage spills, making it the fourth-worst UK city for sewage spills by area density.”
The motion calls on the government to replace Ofwat with a “tough new regulator with new powers”, which would inspect water companies and farms more often and “rigorously prosecute offenders”.
Last year, swimmers demanded councillors address sewage pollution in the River Avon – photo: Extinction Rebellion
Another demand is extra funding for the Environment Agency and Natural England.
Locally, the environment policy committee will be asked to set up a task force of councillors and other organisations in Bristol, which would explore ways to improve the water quality of the city’s rivers.
This could include building a database of river quality; encouraging the use of water butts to collect rainwater and reduce pressure on storm drains and sewers; and an awareness campaign.
One issue is surface water and waste water from private properties does not always enter the correct drainage system.
The council could also install sustainable drainage systems on land that it owns — these are becoming increasingly common across the country, with plants and soil soaking up rainwater and reducing pressure on drains.
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