The Great Sewage Cover-Up: East Riding Liberal Democrats Demand Transparency as Yorkshire Water Named "League of Shame" Runner-Up

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The East Riding of Yorkshire is defined by its wate, from the iconic chalk streams of the Wolds to the sprawling coastline of Holderness and the banks of the Humber. Yet, beneath the surface of our picturesque landscape lies a murky reality.

​The Liberal Democrats are today launching a major campaign to "End the Great Sewage Cover-Up." While the government points to a decrease in the frequency of spills, new data reveals a disturbing truth: the sheer scale of filth being pumped into our local environment remains hidden by a lack of volume monitoring.

​Yorkshire Water’s "League of Shame" Performance
​The 2025 sewage discharge figures have laid bare the environmental negligence occurring on our doorstep. Nationally, there were 291,492 sewage spills across England. However, the regional breakdown is even more damning for residents of the East Riding.

​Yorkshire Water has secured a silver medal in the "League of Shame," recording a staggering 51,431 individual spills over the last year. This puts them as the second-worst offender in the entire country, surpassed only by United Utilities.

​Local Hotspots in the East Riding
​While Yorkshire Water points to fluctuating weather patterns, the data for our specific local outflows remains harrowing. East Riding Liberal Democrats, have repeatedly highlighted the persistent failure by Yorkshire Water to protect local communities
 
​"Since 2021 we have seen a 30% decrease in the number of outflow incidents, but only an 11% reduction in hours. Yorkshire Water still has a long way to go, considering rainfall was down 20%. We still have 15 outflows recording over 500 hours of outflow, with five well over 1,000 hours, including Melton, Atwick, Stamford Bridge North, Hull, and Hollym." Cllr Phil Redshaw 

​Ending the "Volume Vacuum"
​The Liberal Democrat believe you deserve  honest from the water industry. Currently, water companies are only required to report how many times they spill and for how long, but not how much sewage is actually discharged.

​Measuring sewage by time rather than volume is like measuring a flood by how long the rain lasted without checking the water level in the living room. 
​"I have never heard anyone say 'I'll have three and a half seconds of Guinness please.' By measuring in time not volume, these companies deliberately obscure how much they are polluting our waterways with sewage. The public deserves to know exactly how many millions of litres of filth are trashing our environment and threatening our health." Tim Farron MP - Environment Spokesperson

​A National Scandal
​The "Great Sewage Cover-Up" isn't just an environmental issue; it is a failure of corporate accountability and government oversight. While families in the East Riding face rising water bills, the executives at the helm of these polluting firms continue to enjoy significant financial rewards.

​"The Great Sewage Cover-Up is a national scandal. It is not enough to know how long a sewage spill lasted, we need to know the sheer volume of waste being dumped to understand the true scale of this destruction. While water bosses pocket massive bonuses and hike up bills, our families are being left to swim in filth."Ed Davey MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, 

​Our Plan for Change
​The Liberal Democrats have been the leading voice in Parliament fighting for the health of our rivers and seas. Our policy is clear: we need a revolutionary shift in how water companies operate.

​The Liberal Democrat "Clean Water" Mandate:

​A New Clean Water Authority: It's time for a new Clean Water Authority to replace the failed regulator, Ofwat. We need a body with the teeth to actually protect our environment.

​Banning Executive Bonuses: We are calling for a total ban on water company executive bonuses until sewage dumping ends. We must end this sewage scandal.

​Mandatory Volume Monitoring: We are planning to amend the upcoming water legislation in the King’s Speech to require companies to report the volume of every spill.

​Blue Flag Rivers: Implementing a new legal status for rivers to protect swimmers and wildlife.

​A "Polluter Pays" Tax: Scrapping bonuses for water bosses until spills stop and using those funds to invest in infrastructure.

​Transforming Water Companies: Reforming water companies into "Public Benefit Corporations," ensuring they prioritise the environment over offshore shareholders.

The Liberal Democrats believe that the time for excuses has passed....
​"From the Conservatives' years of negligence to Labour’s current failure to take tough action, the excuses must stop. Until we measure the true scale of this destruction, the cover-up will continue."Tim Farron MP

​Take Action Today
​The East Riding Liberal Democrats will continue to hold Yorkshire Water to account. Our residents deserve to enjoy our coastline and countryside without the fear of what is being pumped into them under the cover of darkness.

​We need your help to send a clear message to the water companies and the government that the cover-up ends now.

​Back our campaign to Stop Sewage at www.libdems.org.uk/stop-sewage


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