Raw sewage was dumped into the Welland in Market Harborough for over 1300 hours last year

A shocking report from HFM News:

There has been a big increase in the amount of raw sewage dumped into the River Welland in Market Harborough.

117 separate incidents were recorded last year – a 44% rise on 2022.

Sewage flowed into the watercourse for over 1,300 hours, which is nearly double the amount of time it did during the year before and equates to 54 days continuously.

Water companies are permitted to allow untreated waste to be released into rivers during heavy rainfall to stop sewers backing up.

The data has been released by the Environment Agency, which monitors three points along the river through the town where sewage can enter the water.

We phoned Ofwat for a comment:

"I'm just the cleaner. dear. They've all gone home."

Neil O'Brien is 45.