Raw sewage released into Shropshire's waterways over 4,000 times in a year
Raw sewage was released into open water in Shropshire more than 4,000 times in 2022, figures show.
The latest figures obtained from the Environment Agency show that storm overflows were used 3,830 times within Shropshire Council's boundaries in 2022, discharging for a total of around 25,542 hours.
Of these, 3,713 were from Severn Trent Water's network, while 117 were from facilities operated by Welsh Water.
Storm overflows were used 539 times within Telford & Wrekin Council's boundaries in 2022, discharging for a total of around 1,864 hours.
Severn Trent said it had embarked on a £11.5 million project to upgrade six sewage treatment works in Shropshire and says agriculture, not the water company, is the biggest polluter in the county.
Legal storm overflows normally happen when the sewage system is at risk of being overwhelmed – such as after a heavy rain, or during higher levels of groundwater.
