The river Rother last year suffered 9,965 hours of sewage overflow pollution, the most of any river in Southern Water's service area.
The 35-mile-long waterway saw 784 incidents of sewage overspill, according to figures released by water company analysis website Top of the Poops. Although this duration was 2,347 hours less than the previous year, the Rother ranked in 16th position overall for English and Welsh rivers, one below the Mersey Estuary.
It remains unclear from the statistics exactly how much sewage entered the East Sussex river in 2022, although it's known the pollution related to 784 incidents, an average of two a day. Given that the river discharges into Rye Bay, the news will certainly not be welcomed by Rye's fishing community and bathers at Camber Sands.
Sewage overflow pollution occurred at 20 locations along the river, including Harbour Road in Rye, the Rye Cricket Salts, Peasmarsh, Iden, Northiam, Wittersham, Stone-in-Oxney, Hurst Green and Burwash.
The website also published details of sewage overspill directly affecting beachside bathing water, with Camber listed as experiencing 252 hours from 32 incidents in 2022, although the time fell by 309 hours compared to the previous year. According to Surfers Against Sewage, Southern Water was responsible for sewage overflows into its service area's bathing waters totalling 1,285 hours between May and September last year.
Sewage overflow pollution into rivers and the marine environment has become an increasingly important political issue in recent years.
