The charity River Action submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Environment Agency, which revealed that in 2021 raw sewage was discharged into the two principal river catchments of the New Forest - the Lymington and Beaulieu Rivers - on more than 250 occasions and a total period of just under 1,900 hours.
The most frequent sewage discharges over this period in the National Park have occurred at Brockenhurst Wastewater Treatment Works on the Lymington River and Lyndhurst Wastewater Treatment Works on the Beaulieu River, accounting for over 50 per cent of total discharges.
The chairman of River Action, Charles Watson, has written a letter to the CEO of Southern Water expressing his “deep concern” over the uncovered data.
He said it was “simply scandalous” that New Forest wetlands are being used in this way considering their importance as a habitat for wildlife and biodiversity.
“In the case of the discharges from Lyndhurst Wastewater Treatment...