Campaigner disputes old excuses for sewer spills

Victorian sewer networks are not to blame for frequent storm discharges, campaigner Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) has argued.

According to a report in the Financial Times, WASP's analysis of an earlier study of network assets found only 12% of the sewage network dates to that time, which WASP said debunked the explanation for pollution typically offered by government and water companies.

Moreover, WASP's analysis found no evidence to suggest that Victorian sewer networks were more likely to be involved in spills of untreated sewage. WASP’s Professor Peter Hammond was quoted in the Financial Times as saying: “More likely it is the lack of maintenance and investment.”