Sewage sickness? Reports of illness after dips in UK waters climb

By Lauren Wilkin

First-of-its-kind analysis has revealed reports of sickness cases linked to sewage spills this year have increased by 63% compared to 2025.

Between January and August this year, 1,687 people reported they got sick after using the water at rivers, lakes and beaches across the U.K.

The reports were made to Surfers Against Sewage — a water quality charity — via the Safer Seas and Rivers Service app.

In the same period in 2025, 875 people told told the charity they got sick.

Reported illnesses included severe bacterial infections such as E. coli and campylobacter, gastroenteritis, ENT infections, and in extreme cases, hospitalizations and life-changing surgery.

The figures were reported in the 2026 Water Quality Report by Surfers Against Sewage.

Across reports submitted from January 2025 to August 2026, people reported a total of 5,222 days off work, equivalent to around 20 years of full-time working days lost.

The data also reveals that during the hottest summer on record for the U.K., 787 people reported getting sick after using the water across the numerous heatwaves between May and August 2026.

The charity says that as these figures only capture cases reported directly to them, they are likely to represent only a fraction of the true scale of illness experienced by water users.

Peter Selley, a retired doctor, said: “Doctors and medical professionals working in coastal areas need to be alert to the risks from polluted waters as routine tests may not identify the type of germ responsible.

“As doctors, we see patients becoming sick after using polluted waters. So it’s remarkable there’s no coordinated response from the government for medical professionals to follow when it comes to diagnosing, recording and reporting sickness cases in water users.

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“Food poisoning is a notifiable disease — it must be reported to authorities to protect public health. However, illness contracted after swimming in polluted water is not, but it’s clearly a growing threat to all our well-being.”

Giles Bristow, CEO at Surfers Against Sewage, said: “Imagine checking for a sewage alert, heading out for a swim or a surf, and finding sewage has been pouring into the sea for hours.

“Your water company didn’t report it. In England, we don’t have to imagine it. We’re living it.

“Water companies have systemically failed to report sewage discharges on time more than 50,000 times this year. That’s a threat to public health, and it’s illegal.

“Yet we pay the price, through our health and our soaring bills, while water company greed and lawbreaking goes unchecked.”

In 2025, the report highlights that sewage discharged for more than 3 million hours into the U.K.’s waters — the equivalent of 342 years of sewage pouring continuously.

Water companies in England were responsible for over 1.8 million hours of discharges, and sewage alerts were in place at designated U.K. bathing waters last year for a total of 24,771 days — meaning, on average, each bathing water had an alert in place for 37 days.

The analysis found that Yorkshire Water recorded the highest number of late sewage reports of any English water company.

Water companies are only permitted to discharge sewage through storm overflows during heavy rainfall.

However, freedom of information data reveals 1,251 dry spills by Yorkshire Water, lasting 8,307 hours in the first six months of the year.

The charity is urging the public to take part in a Mass Lobby from Oct. 22 to 26.

Hundreds of citizens will meet their MP face to face to raise the issue locally, push for change and to pressure ministers to “deliver a Clean Water Bill that resets the system, not one that keeps the status quo.”