The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) accused the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), regulator Ofwat and the Environment Agency of breaking the law that regulates sewage releases. 

The OEP said there may have been “misinterpretations of some key points of law” that have allowed discharges to occur more often than permitted.

In response, Defra said it did not agree with the OEP’s “initial interpretations”, but admitted that “the volume of sewage discharged is completely unacceptable”. Meanwhile, the EA and Ofwat welcomed the investigation. 

“Water companies’ performance on the environment is simply not good enough,” an Ofwat spokesperson said. “We will keep pushing for the change.”

The OEP said it began its investigation into the matter last June, after receiving a complaint from charity WildFish, alleging failures to comply with legal duties relating to the monitoring and enforcement of water companies’ management of sewage...