River Severn sewage spills will take years to reduce, says Severn Trent

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 09:55 · Archive

Sewage discharges into the River Severn will take years to tackle, water company bosses have admitted.

Sewage discharges into the River Severn will take years to tackle, Severn Trent bosses have admitted at a Worcestershire County Council meeting. Councillor Louis Stephen questioned whether residents should accept that adverse rainfall is an excuse for sewerage flowing into rivers, asking when the problem could be solved. He noted that spills, once rare occurrences, are now happening several times a year.

Severn Trent data shows the company's Worcester sewage treatment works had 68 spills in 2025, lasting a total of 975 hours. Across Severn Trent's entire operating area, there were more than 36,000 spills lasting over 200,000 hours from 2,452 overflows.

Tim Smith of Severn Trent told the council that the company's infrastructure was built over many years. He said that storm overflows were designed to prevent flooding and that removing them quickly would be unaffordable and unfeasible. The company's focus, he argued, should be on reducing discharges rather than completely eliminating them.

How it is being reported

• River Severn sewage spills will take years to tackle, bosses admitREDUCING the number of sewage discharges into the River Severn will take time, say water company bosses.Malvern Gazette · 9 Oct, 09:42
• River Severn sewage spills will take years to tackle, bosses admitREDUCING the number of sewage discharges into the River Severn will take time, say water company bosses.Worcester News · 9 Oct, 09:42

In this story: River Severn · Severn Trent · Worcestershire · Worcester

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