IN 2023, private water companies in England more than doubled the amount of sewage they discharged into the country’s rivers and seas.

It amounted to around 3.6 million hours of sewage spills in total, up from 1.75 million hours in 2022.

However, as environmental campaigners have pointed out, sewage dumping is also an issue in Scotland.

Yet a key difference stands out when comparing the figures between the two countries.

While 100% of combined sewage pipes in England are monitored, in Scotland, that figure stands at around 5%.