Research by the Friends of the River Frome has found that sewage was spilt into local waterways for over 6,000 hours during 2024.
The group said six local sewage works were responsible. Its findings show Nunney Sewage Treatment Works spilt sewage 81 times for a total of 1,254 hours, Rode SWT 82 times for 1,147 hours, Norton St Philip SWT 76 times for 1,097 hours, Westwood SWT 62 times for 1,037 hours, Beckington SWT 55 times for 855 hours, and Trudoxhill Pumping Station 81 times for 843 hours. Rode and Beckington discharged directly into the River Frome, while the others spilt into its tributaries – smaller streams that feed into the main river.
Chair of Friends of the Somerset River Frome, Mike Bull, said, “There can be no doubt: our rivers are under threat. Freshwater ecosystems face huge challenges, including pollution from sewage and farming, low water flow from abstraction, drained land, and climate change. These figures show that infrastructure in rural areas cannot cope and highlight the need for Wessex Water to increase investment to reduce the number and duration of spills.”
Following calls from the group, Wessex Water boosted wastewater capacity at Frome’s Westway Shopping Centre in 2021/22. Mike said, “This resulted in a huge reduction in spills from that site. In 2024 there were just two spills for a total of one hour, compared to 53 spills for 122 hours in 2020.”
He added, “Change is possible if we act now. Community groups, water companies, landowners, government – we all have to work together for the sake of rivers. If you’d like to get involved locally, join us at Friends of the River Frome.”
A Wessex Water spokesperson said, “Unlike this year, 2024 saw prolonged periods of intense rainfall in our region which resulted in licensed storm overflows operating as designed to prevent flooding when rainwater and groundwater overwhelmed the sewer network.
“Many of these groundwater discharges came from private pipes which can lead to overflows operating long after rainfall events, while Environment Agency (EA) data shows that the reasons for the River Frome catchments not achieving good ecological status are not linked to overflows.
“We agree that overflows are outdated and we’re spending more than £8 million every month on schemes to reduce how often they operate in our region.”
Friends of the River Frome is a registered charity that works to improve, protect and celebrate the Somerset River Frome. Its chair and committee are volunteers, and its work is funded by donations, grants and membership. For more information or to donate, visit friendsoftheriverfrome.co.uk.
