Commonwealth triathletes at risk of swimming in raw sewage

New analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that Commonwealth triathletes and paratriathletes could be swimming in raw sewage when they compete in the triathlon in Sutton Park, Birmingham.

Data published by the Environment Agency reveals that raw sewage has been dumped by Severn Trent water into a tributary of Longmoor Pool in Sutton Park, for nearly five hours last year.

On top of this, a second sewage monitor that monitors dumps into Wyndley Pool in Sutton Park only functioned for 14% of the time last year. This means that there were 314 days last year where raw sewage could’ve been dumped without anyone knowing.

Severn Trent Water discharged raw sewage into waterways 59,684 times last year for a total of 461,135 hours. Meanwhile, they paid their top execs £4.2 million in 2021, including £2.8 million in bonuses. 

Helen Morgan MP said: “This is an issue we’re all too aware of in Shropshire. Severn Trent has not done enough to stop sewage from being pumped into our rivers and needs to be forced by Government to clean up its mess.

“Poo-lution is a particular problem now flooding is such a regular issue across North Shropshire and the wider county.

“Serious action about this issue is long overdue.”

Liberal Democrat Environment Spokesperson Tim Farron MP said: “This is frankly shocking. Elite athletes from across the Commonwealth are heading to Birmingham to compete and they could be swimming in raw sewage on their way to winning a medal.

“This shows how out of hand these sewage discharges have become. We need to see action from the Conservatives and the candidates to be Prime Minister must commit to taking  action against these unscrupulous water companies.

“Liberal Democrats are calling for action now. This means slapping a sewage tax on the profits of water companies to fund cleaning up our waterways and a ban on bonuses for sewage company bosses.”