The Rivers Trust The Rivers Trust logo Search Shop Donate About us Our work Take action Enjoy rivers Key issues Home/ Key issues/ Raw sewage in our rivers Raw Sewage in our Rivers Sewage is discharged into rivers across the UK and Ireland on a daily basis. This isn’t an isolated problem; it occurs up and down the country, affecting urban city centre rivers and pristine chalk streams alike. Explore Key issues State of Our Rivers Raw sewage in our rivers Climate change Habitat loss Drought and water scarcity Pollution Flooding Data & evidence We want to help you find out where sewage is discharged into rivers, enabling you to make informed decisions about where you swim, paddle, catch and play. Our map below shows where the sewerage network discharges and overflows into rivers. Be warned: you might not like what you discover! Is there sewage in your local river? This button will take you to a full screen version of the map. Recommended for mobile users. Open the map At The Rivers Trust, we believe that people should be able to swim, paddle, catch and play without worrying about sewage pollution. That’s why we launched Together for Rivers: an ambitious campaign which hopes to see designated bathing waters introduced to well-used rivers in the UK. Our hopes of bathing water status in rivers aren’t all that outlandish, either; campaigners at Ilkley have succeeded in securing bathing water status for their local river – a first in England. With enough support, we believe more and more rivers could be given bathing water status, helping to improve rivers for people and wildlife. Until cleaner rivers become a reality, we will continue to fight for public access to data on sewage pollution. That’s why we created our Sewage Map, which gives details on the location and spill duration of CSOs across England and Wales. Write to your MP Ask your MP to pipe up to #EndSewagePollution in Parliament using the tool below. Write to your MP State of Our Rivers The race to climate resilience will be won or lost on rivers – and right now we’re losing. Learn more What does the public think? We asked over 1000 people how they use rivers recreationally and how this might change if rivers were cleaner. Dive into the data and read our Sewage Report to learn more. Read the report Report an environmental incident While you’re out, if you spot a pollution incident, any illegal activity or anything else, please report it immediately to the authorities. These hotlines are open 24 hours a day: England, Scotland and Northern Ireland: 0800 80 70 60 Wales: Natural Resources Wales hotline: 0300 065 3000 Ireland: EPA Headquarters: 053 916 0600 / Lo-Call Number: 1890 33 55 99* Together for rivers We dream of wild, healthy, natural rivers valued by all… but to get there, we need to talk about pollution. Find out about our campaign Together for Rivers. Learn more Join the cause Help us to revive rivers to their former glory and strengthen their resilience for people and nature. Take action The Rivers Trust The Rivers Trust logo Social media Useful links About us Our work Take action Enjoy rivers Key issues Get in touch Shop Legal links Policies and legal information Registered charity number: 1107144 Registered in England & Wales as a company limited by guarantee Company registration number: 05136671 © The Rivers Trust 2021 — Made by