A report by the Royal Academy of Engineering has shown that human faeces are littering rivers and tap water are being contaminated by leaky sewage in the United Kingdom, infecting residents with various waterborne diseases across the country.

According to the report, despite the efforts to improve water quality in the UK in the last 30 years, raw sewage is still flowing in massive volumes into rivers and seas in the country with an average of 1,271 spills a day recorded across England last year. 

The figure doubled the 825 spills a day recorded across England in 2022, as the Royal Academy of Engineering urged the UK government to upgrade sewage systems in the country and conduct widespread testing of the country’s waterways.

The BBC reported that last week, the water supply of the town Devon was polluted by the parasite Cryptosporidium after a faulty valve in Southwest Water’s network, forcing thousands of residents to resort to drinking bottled water.

Drinking water that has been contaminated by human faeces could put citizens at risk of being infected by exposure to  bacteria such as salmonella and E.coli which cause diarrhoea and vomiting or viruses like hepatitis A which can lead to liver infection.

Speaking to the BBC, chair of public health engineering at the University of Leeds and one of the co-authors of the study, Prof. Barbara Evans, said “One of the most dangerous things in our lives is human faecal waste. 

“We now know that more of [this waste] is going back into the environment. And we know that more people want to use bathing waters. So we have to say that there’s an increased risk of an outbreak of infectious faecal oral disease.’’

The report urged the government to publicly release data for tests conducted on waterways more frequently so that residents can keep themselves safe and called for the introduction of new post sewage treatment technology, such as UV radiation, to keep water safer.

“Water companies have a plan with proposals to double the current level of spending between now and 2030 “with bathing areas heavily prioritised for investment,” a spokesperson for the water company trade association Water UK said.