Raw sewage released in open water in Staffordshire and the Black Country for 10,900 hours last year
Raw sewage was released into open water in Staffordshire and the Black Country thousands of times and for 10,900 hours last year, figures show.
Storm overflows normally happen when the sewage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – such as after a heavy rain, or during higher levels of groundwater.
In such cases, water companies may need to release excess water and sewage into rivers and the sea, to prevent water backing up into the streets and people's homes.
This has an impact on the quality of natural water sources, with some charities alleging storm overflows are being misused and under-reported.
Figures from the Environment Agency show storm overflows were used 3,120 times within local authority boundaries in the Black Country and Staffordshire in 2022, discharging for a total of around 10,900 hours.
All of these spills were from Severn Trent Water's network.
The figures relate to local authority boundaries within Walsall, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley, Cannock, Stafford and South Staffordshire.
Of these areas, storm overflows were used the most times in South Staffordshire at 723, discharging for 3,437 hours.
