Huge increase in fish kills linked to sewage pollution - Angling Trust
The Angling Trust is calling for immediate government intervention following confirmation of a huge increase in fish kills linked to sewage pollution in UK waterways.
Environment Agency (EA) data from the past four years shows an alarming rise in the number of fish deaths linked to sewage pollution, with figures escalating from 26,690 in 2020-2021 to a staggering 116,135 in 2023-2024, a 176% increase on the previous year. Southern Water and Thames Water stand out as being responsible for the majority of fish kill incidents linked to sewage pollution in 2023-2024.
This drastic increase, which is likely to be a significant underestimate, highlights the growing environmental crisis in UK rivers that demands swift and decisive intervention. 2023 saw a 54% increase in the number of sewage spills – from 301,091 spills in 2022 to 464,056 in 2023.
The reported fish kills over the past four years are as follows:
- 2020-2021: 26,690
- 2021-2022: 27,824
- 2022-2023: 42,070
- 2023-2024: 116,135
Conversely, the number of prosecutions brought against water companies by the EA have seen a significant decline. From 2018 to 2022 prosecutions commenced by the EA against water companies reduced from 166 to just 33. In addition to the number of prosecutions declining, the number of investigations following a report of sewage pollution has also declined. Previous studies by Fish Legal have shown that fish kill investigation reports are not provided for over 50% of incidents.