In 1999, Julie Maughan lost her daughter to E. coli contracted from sewage on a beach in Devon. She says, “No one should have to go through that. Ever. Going to the beach and getting in the water shouldn’t put your life at risk.”
The latest UK water quality report from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) reveals some sickening facts about conditions across the country: between January and August 2026, 1,687 people reported getting sick after surfing, swimming, or paddling. What’s even worse, in Wales, 90% of reports came from spots classified as Good or Excellent.
As surfers, the importance of clean water is one thing we can all agree on. While some surfers may take more risks than others, especially if the waves are pumping, none of us want to get sick from doing what we love.
According to SAS, more than 500,000 sewage discharges poured into UK waters in 2025, lasting for more than 3 million hours. More than 35,000 of those went into monitored beaches (known in the UK as “designated bathing waters”). The report brings together discharge data, bathing water pollution, and sickness reports, and points to major gaps in how pollution is monitored and reported.
In England, water companies discharged sewage 289,838 times in 2025, lasting more than 1.8 million hours, including 14,873 discharges on completely dry days. That means that even without the presence of rain that could potentially disrupt old systems, they’re frequently releasing sewage into areas where there may be people enjoying the water.
Companies are legally required to report discharges within the hour, yet SAS found that more than 50,000 spill events in the first half of 2026 were reported late, and that every English water company missed the timeframe.
Earlier this year, a woman only identified as Katharine, recalls her horrific experience contracting cryptosporidiosis and a bacterial infection earlier this year after swimming in contaminated seawater at Hove, a spot with an “Excellent” rating. “The infection became particularly serious. I was admitted to hospital where I required prolonged treatment, including IV fluids, specialist antibiotics, and close monitoring to protect my transplanted kidney.”
The stories are presented in a three-episode docudrama called Dirty Business based on a decade-long investigation by local residents and whistleblowers into illegal sewage dumping, corporate greed, and the ecological decay of English waterways since the 1989 privatization of the water industry.
Beyond England
In Wales, sewage was discharged more than 100,000 times in 2025, or roughly one every five minutes, lasting 822,265 hours. Ninety Welsh bathing waters were affected by 4,083 discharges. Since 2019, SAS has received 992 sickness reports from Wales, including 215 in 2025 and another 187 between January and August 2026.
Figures from Scotland and Northern Ireland aren’t complete as much of the network isn’t monitored. Scottish Water recorded 100,044 discharges lasting 276,759 hours in 2025, but only about 30% of overflows are monitored. If those are representative, SAS estimates the true figure could be as high as 326,000 discharges lasting more than 900,000 hours. In Northern Ireland, 9,496 discharges were recorded lasting 35,164 hours, with just 19% of storm overflows monitored. SAS estimates the actual number could be around 49,700 discharges. In SAS’s 2026 Wild Water Survey, 36% of Northern Ireland residents surveyed said they had become unwell after interacting with the water.
The sickness numbers are reports submitted to SAS, not a medical study. Across the UK, 1,568 people submitted reports in 2025, representing 3,146 days off work. The 1,687 reports from January to August 2026 represent another 1,923 days.
SAS is calling for different fixes in each nation. In England, that means reforming how the water industry is owned and run, stronger legal protection for people using the water, and better enforcement and transparency. In Scotland, it wants comprehensive sewage monitoring, public reporting, and effective enforcement. In Wales, it wants a tough, independent regulator with proper funding. In Northern Ireland, it’s asking for greater transparency and legally binding targets on untreated discharges affecting bathing waters.
Related: Scotland’s Hidden Pollution Crisis: Wet Wipes, Sewage, and the Surfers at Risk
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