Coming to a Beach Near You?

A major responsibility of the Environmental Agency (EA) is ensuring that pollution in England and Wales, doesn't pose a health hazard for the general public. Raw sewage is, of course, a considerable hazard. The UK's privatised Water Companies, can only legally release raw sewage into lakes, rivers and the seas, when rainfall is truly exceptional, with likely flooding. It seems, however, that some Water Companies have preferred to release their sewage on a regular basis, rather than spend any money (needed for shareholders?) to increase their s**t-holding capacities. The EA is supposed to monitor all sewage release (legal and illegal). The Liberal Democrats have analyzed the EA's own sewage release data (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/22/seaside-sewage-monitors-england-environment-agency). Disturbingly, their analysis revealed that at many treatment plants, monitors were faulty or not even installed. The health risk associated with raw sewage release has led to popular seaside beaches in Sussex and Devon having to close. In other areas, people will be completely unaware, as they gambol in the waves, with the crap. Perhaps the most disturbing feature of this story is that the EA didn't raise a fuss about its own damning data? Was it letting sleeping polluters lie?