How many storm overflows are discharging in England right now?

16 of 14,199 monitored storm overflows are reporting a discharge right now, according to the nine water companies that operate them. The figure comes from their own event duration monitors and is rechecked hourly.

Which beaches are affected by a storm overflow right now?

17 designated bathing waters have a storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. A discharge near a beach is not the same as a swimming ban — the monitoring body's own status for each water is shown alongside, and only it can close a beach.

Does a storm overflow discharging mean the beach is unsafe?

Not on its own, and no agency says so. An overflow may discharge into a river some distance inland and never reach the coast, and the dilution, the tide and the time since it started all matter. The Environment Agency publishes a modelled short-term pollution forecast for beaches that are prone to this, and that forecast — not the raw overflow status — is what raises a caution on this site.

Why does this only cover England?

Because England is the only part of these islands where the data exists. The Environment Act 2021 obliges English water companies to report a discharge within an hour of it starting, and nine of them publish that as open data. Dŵr Cymru publish no live equivalent for Wales, Hafren Dyfrdwy publish annual totals only, and there is no comparable feed for Scotland or Northern Ireland. A Welsh or Scottish beach missing from this page means no data exists, not that nothing is discharging.

What is a storm overflow?

Much of the sewer network carries sewage and rainwater in one pipe. When rainfall exceeds what the system can hold, a storm overflow discharges the excess — diluted, untreated sewage — into a river or the sea, by design, to stop it backing up into homes. Every permitted overflow in England carries an event duration monitor that records when it starts and stops.

Storm overflows discharging right now

16 of 14,199 monitored storm overflows in England are discharging right now, as reported by the nine water companies that operate them. Overflows release diluted, untreated sewage during and after heavy rain, by design. This page covers England only — no comparable live feed is published for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Checked 38 minutes ago.

Bathing waters with an overflow discharging nearby — 17

Designated bathing waters with a storm overflow discharging within 5 km at this moment. Each shows the monitoring body’s own status for the water, which is a separate judgement from the discharge and the only one that can close a beach.

Coverage by water company

Every English water company that publishes live overflow data, and how many of its monitors are reporting a discharge now.

Company	Overflows	Discharging now
Anglian Water Services	1,438	1
Northumbrian Water Ltd	1,575	0
Severn Trent Water	2,416	2
Southern Water	994	1
South West Water	1,342	6
Thames Water	573	0
United Utilities	2,255	5
Wessex Water	1,427	0
Yorkshire Water	2,179	1

What this page does not tell you

A discharge is not a measurement of the water at a beach. An overflow may release into a river well inland and never reach the coast; dilution, tide and the time since it started all decide whether anything arrives. We report the water company’s own signal and stop there — we do not infer a swim status from it, and nothing here closes a beach.

211 monitors are offline and reporting nothing either way. A quiet list is not an all-clear.

For the status an agency does stand behind, see current bathing water warnings, and swimming after heavy rain for how long to leave it.

Common questions

How many storm overflows are discharging in England right now?: 16 of 14,199 monitored storm overflows are reporting a discharge right now, according to the nine water companies that operate them. The figure comes from their own event duration monitors and is rechecked hourly.
Which beaches are affected by a storm overflow right now?: 17 designated bathing waters have a storm overflow discharging within 5 km right now. A discharge near a beach is not the same as a swimming ban — the monitoring body's own status for each water is shown alongside, and only it can close a beach.
Does a storm overflow discharging mean the beach is unsafe?: Not on its own, and no agency says so. An overflow may discharge into a river some distance inland and never reach the coast, and the dilution, the tide and the time since it started all matter. The Environment Agency publishes a modelled short-term pollution forecast for beaches that are prone to this, and that forecast — not the raw overflow status — is what raises a caution on this site.
Why does this only cover England?: Because England is the only part of these islands where the data exists. The Environment Act 2021 obliges English water companies to report a discharge within an hour of it starting, and nine of them publish that as open data. Dŵr Cymru publish no live equivalent for Wales, Hafren Dyfrdwy publish annual totals only, and there is no comparable feed for Scotland or Northern Ireland. A Welsh or Scottish beach missing from this page means no data exists, not that nothing is discharging.
What is a storm overflow?: Much of the sewer network carries sewage and rainwater in one pipe. When rainfall exceeds what the system can hold, a storm overflow discharges the excess — diluted, untreated sewage — into a river or the sea, by design, to stop it backing up into homes. Every permitted overflow in England carries an event duration monitor that records when it starts and stops.