More than 1,000 sewage overflows in Chichester last year

Wayhoh Reservoir in Edgworth, Lancashire. There has been almost no rain in England for the last three weeks, while many rivers in the north and West Midlands are notably or exceptionally low, new figures show. Less than one millimetre has fallen in the South East and North East since May 31, with the rest of England seeing no rain at all. Picture date: Thursday June 8, 2023.

Raw sewage was released into open water in Chichester more than 1,000 times in 2022, figures show.

Storm overflows normally happen when the sewage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – such as after a heavy rain, or during higher levels of groundwater.

In these cases, water companies may need to release excess water and sewage into rivers and the sea, to prevent water backing up into the streets and people's homes.

This has an impact on the quality of our natural water sources, with some charities alleging storm overflows are being misused and under-reported.

Figures from the Environment Agency show storm overflows were used 1,238 times within Chichester's local authority boundaries in 2022, discharging for a total of around 19,542 hours.

All of these spills were from Southern Water's network.

These figures may not provide a full picture of the amount of water pollution in the area – Chichester may also be impacted by overspills from areas it shares water sources with.

The Rivers Trust said it was particularly concerned by storm overflows being used during hot periods – a risk as England faces a heatwave this week.