Sewage was dumped into the Thames in Bermondsey and Old Southwark 40 times in 2023 – double that of 2022, new figures have revealed.

The analysis is based on official data from the Environment Agency, compiled by the House of Commons Library for the Liberal Democrats. It shows sewage was dumped into the Thames along the banks of Bermondsey and Old Southwark on 40 separate occasions in 2023.

This is double the number of sewage spills in 2022, when sewage was dumped on 20 separate occasions.

Last year, sewage was dumped into England’s rivers over 460,000 times for a total of over 3.6 million hours in 2023.

In Bermondsey and Old Southwark sewage spilt for a total of 112 hours in 2023, up from 70 hours in 2022.

9 in 10 constituencies in England saw a rise in the duration of sewage dumping and 90% saw a rise in the number of spills in 2023 compared to the previous year.

The Liberal Democrats have led the way in campaigning against sewage dumping for years. The party is calling for strict measures including replacing Ofwat with a tougher regulator, a ban on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways and the declaration of a national environmental emergency.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bermondsey and Old Southwark and deputy leader of the Southwark Liberal Democrats Cllr Rachel Bentley said:

“It is disgusting that there has been such a sharp rise in Thames Water pumping their filthy sewage into our river.

“People in Bermondsey and Old Southwark are sick to the back teeth with Rishi Sunak’s Conservative MPs voting time and again to allow water companies to get away with this environmental vandalism. In London, Labour’s Sadiq Khan has shown no appetite for getting to grips with the rampant pollution of the Thames. The whole thing stinks.

“Nationally, the Liberal Democrats have led the way for years in campaigning for tougher action to stop this filthy practice. We want to see a tougher water regulator, an end to bonuses for polluting water company bosses and stronger protections for our local environment.”