Data published by the Environment Agency on 26 March 2026 recorded 291,492 incidents of untreated sewage discharges from storm overflows into rivers, lakes and seas across England in 2025. That figure marks a 35 percent reduction in the number of discharge events from 2024, while the total duration of those spills fell by 48 percent. The average number of spills per monitored overflow dropped to 20.5 from 31.8 the year before.
These numbers arrive at a moment when public attention on water quality remains acute. Yet the improvement cannot be separated from the weather that shaped it. 2025 was a year of unusually dry conditions, following a particularly wet 2024. The correlation between rainfall and overflow activation is well established. Storm overflows exist precisely to prevent sewage backing up into homes during extreme wet weather. When rain stays away, the volume and frequency of discharges fall.
The reduction therefore reflects meteorological reality more than a sudden transformation in infrastructure. Environmental groups have been quick to caution against declaring victory. Michelle Walker, technical director at The Rivers Trust, stated that the lower numbers were expected in such a dry year but should not be mistaken for progress. Her warning carries weight. Nearly 300,000 spills in a dry year still represent a substantial volume of untreated material entering the water environment.
Official response balances acknowledgement with realism
Alan Lovell, chair of the Environment Agency, put the data in context when the figures were released. He said: Publishing this data each year ensures the public can see clearly what is happening across England’s storm overflows. While these numbers are heavily influenced by rainfall levels in 2025, substantial reductions in spill duration and events are a clear win for people and the environment. It is vital that improvements to the sewage system are sustained over the long term, and the Environment Agency will continue to hold water companies to account where performance falls short.
Water minister Emma Hardy struck a similar note. She said: It is good to see that storm overflow spills are down since the previous year, but there is still an unacceptable amount of sewage entering our waterways and a long way to go in cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas.
Both statements avoid the temptation to overclaim credit or to reach for sweeping new regulatory burdens. They point instead to the value of consistent oversight and the need for long-term investment that does not punish households with higher bills driven by ideological timelines.
