It's been two years since the UK's poop-engulfed beaches became a national scandal. Now it's even worse

It was late 2021 when someone discovered England’s sewage problem. A Twitter post highlighted the extent of the problem, which seemed unbelievable at first. However, further investigation confirmed that raw sewage was being dumped into rivers and beaches across the country at an alarming rate. Storm overflows, designed for exceptional circumstances, released their contents for a total of 2.7 million hours in 2021. Over the past few years, there has been growing public anger due to closed beaches, dead fish, and polluted waters. The situation has worsened, with sewage spills increasing by 54% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Annual spill durations doubled, reaching 3.6 million hours. Criticism has been directed at underinvestment by private water companies. This ongoing issue threatens public health and environmental quality.