Solihull faced over 4,000 hours of raw sewage discharges into its rivers and streams last year — the worst on record — prompting fierce criticism from local Liberal Democrats who say the crisis is being ignored.
According to newly released Environment Agency data, Solihull experienced 451 separate sewage spills in 2024, totalling 4,384 hours of raw effluent being discharged into local watercourses — an average of more than 84 hours per week. The findings were highlighted in a motion presented to Solihull Council on July 8th by the Liberal Democrat group.
Speaking during the council debate, Cllr Ade Adeyemo, Leader of the Lib Dem group, said:
“Most people in Solihull are blissfully unaware of the damage sewage dumping is doing to our rivers, waterways and our environment… It’s about time that Severn Trent Water clean up their act.”
The worst-affected locations include:
- Dorridge (Norton Green Lane) – 69 discharges across two overflows for 1,733 hours into the Grand Union Canal
- Meriden Road, Hampton-in-Arden – 77 spills over 839 hours into a River Blythe tributary
- Malvern Park (Church Hill Road) – 18 spills for over 80 hours into Alder Brook
- Olton – 25 spills for 59 hours into a Blythe tributary
- Old Station Pumping Station, Hampton-in-Arden – 42 spills for 549 hours into the River Blythe
The Liberal Democrats argued that government inaction, weak regulation, and lavish executive pay within water companies were fuelling the problem.
“We believe it is unacceptable that water companies continue to pay their executives millions… while polluting continues,” said Cllr Adeyemo. “Local residents should not bear the cost of cleaning up their mess through higher water bills.”
The party’s council motion called on the government to scrap OFWAT, the national water regulator, and replace it with a new Clean Water Authority. This body, the Lib Dems argue, should have the power to set legally binding targets for pollution reduction — and revoke the licences of water companies that fail to meet them.
The motion also urged Solihull Council’s leadership to invite Severn Trent Water’s chief executive to a special meeting of Full Council and to write to the Environment Secretary and national water campaign groups expressing concern.
Although the motion was referred for further consideration by a combined scrutiny board, it came with a “promise” of deeper investigation into both the issue and how it may affect future development plans.
The scale of the crisis locally reflects a broader national trend. In 2024, the UK saw 3.6 million hours of sewage discharges — the worst ever recorded — according to the Environment Agency.
The Liberal Democrats’ campaign is part of a wider national push, with party leader Sir Ed Davey calling for systemic reform of water governance and accountability.
The data used in the motion was drawn from the Sewage Map published by The Rivers Trust:
🔗 https://theriverstrust.org/sewage-map