Data obtained by E&T through freedom of information rules has found that on average, from 2017 to 2020, of the almost 300,000 samples taken by water companies at wastewater treatment plants, just 228 water quality breaches were reported. This amounts to a failure rate of 0.08 per cent.
In comparison, EA monitoring of just over 45,000 private sewage discharges found a total of 3740 breaches, equating to a failure rate of 8.3 per cent.
The EA said the failure rate of private discharges, for instance at pubs, hotels and nursing homes, is higher as a percentage than for water companies because wastewater treatment is not their primary business.
But chair of the EAC, Philip Dunne, told E&T it was clear based on current evidence, that “existing practices do not allow for the full picture of water quality at sewage treatment works.
“We need more thorough monitoring to inform the steps government is taking to clear up the chemical cocktail that all too...