Ongoing sewage dumping scandal

Screenshot from BBC Spotlight - The Sewage Scandal

Not much has improved since a Belfast Telegraph article in 2023 reported NI Water’s fine for dumping an astonishing 70 million tonnes of sewage over the preceding decade.

Fast forward a year and NI Water’s 2024 spreadsheet models spills from their storm overflows across Northern Ireland, painting an alarming picture of hundreds of discharge points being classed as ‘unsatisfactory’.

We’ve rustled up a quick infographic (see below) showing the picture for the Lagan River Valley – 58 million tonnes of sewage discharged over 10 years – and put together a helpful summary of the depressing data.