There were at least 23,913 "sewage spills" into shellfish areas in 2023, lasting an almost unbelievable 197,171 hours

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Contains OS Data © Crown copyright & database right 2021-2023
© Top of the Poops 2021-2023
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Shellfish Areas Ranked for 2023

Here are all the shellfish areas in England and Wales that had sewage overflows in 2023.

Rank Shellfish Area Company Sewage Dumps Change Duration (Hours) Change
1 Teign South West Water 2,319 631 21,123 10,284
2 Fal Estuary South West Water 1,978 465 16,688 7,443
3 Exe South West Water 2,379 994 16,111 9,699
4 Dart South West Water 1,458 153 11,922 5,799
5 CHICHESTER HARBOUR (CHICHESTER Southern Water 364 156 7,602 3,312
6 Taw/Torridge South West Water 1,077 207 6,923 3,104
7 Tamar South West Water 739 216 5,981 1,924
8 Salcombe South West Water 634 254 5,515 3,307
9 SOUTHAMPTON WATER Southern Water 533 280 5,190 3,224
10 RYDE Southern Water 422 183 4,927 2,916
11 PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR Southern Water 535 230 4,698 2,653
12 CHICHESTER HARBOUR (CHICHESTER, CHICHESTER HARBOUR (THORNHAM C Southern Water 259 170 4,444 3,095
13 129 Morecambe Bay United Utilities 266 266 4,409 4,409
14 116 Walney United Utilities 730 730 4,359 4,359
15 Fowey South West Water 633 48 3,569 1,390
16 COWES, MEDINA Southern Water 298 109 3,464 1,800
17 Avon South West Water 399 140 3,380 2,201
18 CHICHESTER HARBOUR (CHICHESTER, CHICHESTER HARBOUR (EMSWORTH C, CHICHESTER HARBOUR (THORNHAM C Southern Water 178 102 2,805 1,639
19 Burry Inlet (North) Dwr Cymru Welsh Water 350 143 2,765 1,492
20 APPROACHES TO SOUTHAMPTONWATER, SOUTHAMPTON WATER Southern Water 263 147 2,762 1,771
21 COWES, RYDE, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 257 88 2,628 1,010
22 LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, NEWTOWN_M, PENNINGTON, YARMOUTH Southern Water 223 43 2,572 1,203
23 Camel South West Water 456 94 2,568 1,083
24 NEWTOWN_M Southern Water 125 88 2,513 1,982
25 LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, PENNINGTON, TOTLAND, YARMOUTH Southern Water 150 109 2,372 1,741
26 CENTRAL SOLENT, COWES, LEPE MIDDLE BANK, MEDINA, STANSWOOD BAY Southern Water 286 86 2,285 934
27 POOLE HARBOUR BRANDS BAY / POOLE HARBOUR NORTH / ROCKLEY / SW BROWNSEA ISLAND / WAREHAM CHANNEL / WHITLEY LAKE / WYCH LAKE / NORTH HAVEN PONTOON / LYCHETT BAY / SOUTH DEEP / WEST BROWNSEA RELAY AREA Wessex Water 285 135 1,947 1,302
28 115 Morecambe Bay East United Utilities 279 279 1,758 1,758
29 Morecambe Bay (Leven) United Utilities 106 -241 1,737 -2,747
30 PENNINGTON Southern Water 105 85 1,714 1,594
31 LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, PENNINGTON, YARMOUTH Southern Water 118 97 1,557 1,403
32 CENTRAL SOLENT, COWES, MEDINA, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY, STANSWOOD BAY Southern Water 154 34 1,470 414
33 Lynher South West Water 264 66 1,407 356
34 CENTRAL SOLENT, COWES, RYDE, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 87 36 1,402 690
35 CHICHESTER HARBOUR (EMSWORTH C, LANGSTONE HARBOUR, PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR Southern Water 126 32 1,314 588
36 113 Lune United Utilities 115 115 1,302 1,302
37 CHICHESTER HARBOUR (EMSWORTH C, LANGSTONE HARBOUR, PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 163 49 1,286 466
38 Burry Inlet (South) Dwr Cymru Welsh Water 195 107 1,226 559
39 CENTRAL SOLENT, COWES, MEDINA, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY, STANSWOOD BAY, TOTLAND Southern Water 166 47 1,223 647
40 CHICHESTER HARBOUR (CHICHESTER, CHICHESTER HARBOUR (EMSWORTH C, CHICHESTER HARBOUR (THORNHAM C, LANGSTONE HARBOUR Southern Water 78 55 1,147 871
41 APPROACHES TO SOUTHAMPTONWATER, CENTRAL SOLENT, COWES, SOUTHAMPTON WATER, STANSWOOD BAY Southern Water 78 49 1,135 971
42 SWALE EAST, SWALECLIFFE Southern Water 222 77 1,087 444
43 Yealm South West Water 220 137 1,040 836
44 COWES, MEDINA, RYDE Southern Water 165 85 1,032 720
45 PENNINGTON, YARMOUTH Southern Water 138 66 919 670
46 114 Lune United Utilities 154 154 919 919
47 COWES, RYDE Southern Water 153 111 909 820
48 BEAULIEU RIVER, LEPE MIDDLE BANK, LYMINGTON & SOWLEY Southern Water 60 22 791 345
49 Helford South West Water 134 60 768 643
50 Osea Island Anglian Water 42 32 666 610
51 Menai E Dwr Cymru Welsh Water 30 27 664 653
52 SWALE CENTRAL Southern Water 136 79 646 530
53 Red Wharf Dwr Cymru Welsh Water 88 25 633 290
54 West Wash Anglian Water 221 111 616 403
55 Start Bay South West Water 33 17 602 515
56 COWES, LEPE MIDDLE BANK, LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, NEWTOWN_M Southern Water 54 27 582 328
57 134 Duddon United Utilities 63 63 582 582
58 SHEPPEY, SOUTHEND Southern Water 75 29 557 339
59 BEAULIEU RIVER, LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, LEPE MIDDLE BANK Southern Water 43 28 547 371
60 LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, PENNINGTON Southern Water 92 31 495 100
61 South East Wash Anglian Water 77 23 458 319
62 APPROACHES TO SOUTHAMPTONWATER, CENTRAL SOLENT, SOUTHAMPTON WATER, STANSWOOD BAY Southern Water 43 27 433 313
63 COWES, MEDINA, RYDE, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 61 16 416 147
64 Deben Anglian Water 131 68 382 333
65 COWES, LEPE MIDDLE BANK, LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, MEDINA, NEWTOWN_M Southern Water 43 22 381 202
66 MEDINA Southern Water 147 89 380 280
67 MARGATE, SWALECLIFFE Southern Water 44 21 368 232
68 St.Austell Bay South West Water 87 17 332 31
69 117 Roosebeck United Utilities 80 80 329 329
70 CENTRAL SOLENT, COWES, PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR, RYDE, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 48 1 305 117
71 RYDE, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 46 37 296 242
72 Colne, Pyfleet Anglian Water 134 88 292 258
73 PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 141 12 273 45
74 116 - Walney United Utilities 93 93 250 250
75 Colne Anglian Water 136 41 247 191
76 NEWTOWN_M, YARMOUTH Southern Water 47 15 212 74
77 Tollesbury Channel Anglian Water 26 19 209 185
78 118 Sillloth United Utilities 30 30 192 192
79 CHICHESTER HARBOUR (EMSWORTH C, CHICHESTER HARBOUR (THORNHAM C, LANGSTONE HARBOUR Southern Water 20 14 189 156
80 SWALE CENTRAL, SWALE EAST, SWALECLIFFE Southern Water 43 13 181 112
81 LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, NEWTOWN_M, YARMOUTH Southern Water 9 1 139 95
82 APPROACHES TO SOUTHAMPTONWATER, SOUTHAMPTON WATER, STANSWOOD BAY Southern Water 23 3 137 105
83 PENNINGTON, YARMOUTH, TOTLAND Southern Water 23 10 135 91
84 Burnham Overy Creek Anglian Water 18 11 135 131
85 PORTLAND NORTH EASTERN BREAKWATER Wessex Water 155 34 126 15
86 Brixham South West Water 39 -30 110 -390
87 Porthcawl Dwr Cymru Welsh Water 23 12 96 73
88 STOUR ESTUARY (KENT) Southern Water 30 23 95 81
89 OUTER THAMES, SHEPPEY, SWALE EAST, SWALECLIFFE Southern Water 18 12 88 58
90 Upper Roach Anglian Water 13 7 81 62
91 LANGSTONE HARBOUR, PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR Southern Water 17 -1 68 -2
92 FOULNESS, OUTER THAMES, SHEPPEY, SOUTHEND Southern Water 43 21 67 29
93 SWALE CENTRAL, SWALE EAST Southern Water 79 -28 64 -69
94 APPROACHES TO SOUTHAMPTONWATER, CENTRAL SOLENT, PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 7 4 57 41
95 SWALE EAST, SWALECLIFFE, MARGATE Southern Water 27 16 46 4
96 Walton Backwaters Anglian Water 12 5 42 31
97 LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, NEWTOWN_M, PENNINGTON, TOTLAND, YARMOUTH Southern Water 19 4 41 20
98 CHICHESTER HARBOUR (EMSWORTH C, LANGSTONE HARBOUR Southern Water 7 5 39 33
99 MARGATE Southern Water 32 19 35 24
100 LANGSTONE HARBOUR, PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR, RYDE, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 21 -21 33 -99
101 18 Dee United Utilities 12 12 27 27
102 PENNINGTON, TOTLAND, YARMOUTH Southern Water 5 3 24 22
103 RYDE, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY,COWES Southern Water 7 -8 15 -33
104 CENTRAL SOLENT, PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR, RYDE, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 4 2 7 3
105 OUTER THAMES, SHEPPEY, SOUTHEND Southern Water 10 5 7 -25
106 Foulness Anglian Water 11 -20 7 -55
107 Swans E Dwr Cymru Welsh Water 8 2 6 -65
108 COWES, LYMINGTON AND SOWLEY_M, NEWTOWN_M Southern Water 1 1 2 2
109 LANGSTONE HARBOUR Southern Water 3 -1 2 -2
110 OUTER THAMES, SHEPPEY Southern Water 4 2 1 -1
111 APPROACHES TO SOUTHAMPTONWATER, CENTRAL SOLENT, COWES, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 1 1 1 1
112 SHEPPEY, SWALE CENTRAL, SWALE EAST, SWALECLIFFE Southern Water 2 -1 1 0
113 Osea Island/Blackwater Anglian Water 0 0 0 0
114 APPROACHES TO SOUTHAMPTONWATER Southern Water 0 0 0 0
115 OUTER THAMES, SHEPPEY, SWALE CENTRAL, SWALECLIFFE Southern Water 0 -3 0 -9
116 SHEPPEY, SWALE EAST, SWALECLIFFE Southern Water 0 0 0 0
117 LANGSTONE HARBOUR, SPITHEAD AND STOKES BAY Southern Water 0 -1 0 0

Data Sources & Accuracy

EDM (Event Duration Monitoring) data and Consented Discharges to Controlled Waters with Conditions from Environment Agency & Data Map Wales, and Scottish Water

Experimental derived data from Thames Water API, Some data may be missing or inaccurate. This uses Environment Agency rainfall data from the real-time data API (Beta) - Rainfall data is delayed by up to two days.

This website is intended to provide an accurate representation of the Environment Agency data. The data is hard to use, and thus some errors may have been made. If you find something that is incorrect, please raise an issue at the GitHub issues page and we'll endeavour to fix it quickly.

This project is not associated, approved or endorsed by any of the companies whose logos you see here.

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