South Devon MP Caroline Voaden has hit out at the Government and water companies for “purposefully muddying” the truth regarding the scale of water pollution.

New statistics from the Government reveal that in 2025, sewage was dumped into the Harbourne River by South West Water for a total of 2,494 hours. 

However, these figures only show the duration and number of spills - failing to convey the environmental damage being caused.

Under current regulations, water firms are only required to monitor the number and duration of sewage spills, but not the volume of sewage discharged. 

Ms Voaden is calling for an immediate end to the ‘Great Sewage Cover-up’, saying “You wouldn’t go into a pub and ask for three and a half seconds of Guinness, so why are we measuring sewage spills in this way?”.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for water companies to be required to monitor and report the volume of sewage dumped, adding that water companies cannot get away with deliberately obscuring how much they are polluting our waterways with sewage.

Responding to the figures, Caroline Voaden MP for South Devon said: “These statistics are absolutely shocking, but they are only the tip of the iceberg.

“The truth about how much sewage is being spilled into our rivers, lakes, and seas is unclear thanks to the government letting water companies off the hook.

“The public deserves to know the truth. That’s why I’m calling on the government to end the Great Sewage Cover-up, and force South West Water to record the volume of sewage spilling into our local waterways.”

In March, South West Water admitted to 18 illegal pollution offences across Devon and Cornwall over a six-year period. Sentencing is due on June 4, 2026.