Midland water firm Severn Trent dumped sewage into UK waterways more than 36,000 times last year, according to data from the House of Commons Library. The GMB union, which released the information, is calling for workers to have a seat on a new 'super regulator' body set to replace the current watchdog Ofwat and other organisations.
The spills, recorded by the Environment Agency, pumped out raw, untreated sewage for a total of 200,361 hours in 2025. The figures emerged as water campaigner and musician Feargal Sharkey told the GMB's annual congress in Blackpool that privatisation of the industry had 'delivered nothing but pain, sorrow and anger.'
Sharkey said: 'We’ve had little in return apart from corporate greed, profiteering, financial engineering, political failure and regulatory incompetence.'
Severn Trent's Response
Severn Trent, which has more than 4.5 million customers across the Midlands, parts of the south-west and mid-Wales, said it aimed to reduce spills through a programme of improvements and investment across its waste water network. The measures include upgrading infrastructure, increasing storage capacity and making better use of existing assets.
A Severn Trent spokesperson told BirminghamLive: 'We’re investing £160 million at Minworth sewage treatment works, which will ensure it is fit for decades to come. This includes almost £18 million to increase storm tank capacity by around 25 per cent to deal with increased rainfall. Almost a fifth of our storm overflows are in the city and our improvements, investments and together with the drier weather meant 26 per cent of them didn't spill at all in 2025.'
GMB Union's Call for Reform
The GMB union argues that workers should have a direct role in overseeing the water industry to prevent such environmental damage. The proposed super regulator would replace Ofwat and other bodies, aiming to bring greater accountability and transparency. The union's demand comes amid growing public anger over sewage discharges and the performance of privatised water companies.
