11 short guides explain what the map shows, how spills are counted and compared, how to read live reports, where to report pollution and how to ask for more information. Each guide ends with the action it supports.
A storm overflow is an outlet from the sewer system. Its monitor records when the overflow operates. That record is one part of the evidence about the water nearby.
An annual spill count uses a defined counting method. It is not a simple count of each start signal shown in a live feed.
Check official bathing-water advice before entering the water. A sewage map shows discharge reports. It does not give a swimming-safety result.
Report pollution you observe through the official service. A saved location on this site does not send a report to the Environment Agency or a water company.
Each outlet page joins one row of the official annual return to the latest company monitor report. Knowing what each field means helps you check it at the source.
Each annual record says how much of the year its monitor worked. A count from a monitor that worked for half the year can miss half of the events.
The annual return gives each outlet an asset type. The type tells you where in the sewer system the overflow sits.
Water companies publish recent monitor reports for their storm overflows. We check them every 15 minutes and show the latest status we hold, with its time.
Companies run very different numbers of overflows. A company with more overflows will usually have more spills in total, even if each one spills less.
Water companies must answer requests for environmental information. You can ask about an overflow’s permit, monitoring, discharges and planned improvements.
The government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan sets dates by which water companies must reduce harm from storm overflows.