Southern Water sewage discharge: storm overflow released sewage into Langstone Harbour for nearly 200 hours

The overflow from Cosham started on Thursday, January 4 and and stopped on Friday, January 12 with sewage being discharged near to Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve. Southern Water, via their overflow tracker, have logged the release as lasting for 191 hours. They have blamed the issue on groundwater levels which have been exacerbated by the recent heavy rainfall.

A spokesperson for Southern Water, said:  “We have seen a number of longer storm overflow releases recently as a result of weeks of heavy rainfall, where either surface water has run off saturated ground into our sewers, or groundwater has forced its way into our pipes as pressure builds. Storm overflows are emergency outlets, acting as the last line of defence to stop homes and communities flooding when the sewer system becomes overwhelmed. We agree with campaigners and our customers, that storm overflow releases are not acceptable and that’s why we have launched our innovative £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan to reduce spills as quickly as we can across our region.”

In 2024 alone, there has been ten confirmed storm overflow incidents into Langstone Harbour with a further twenty-one under investigation to confirm if they were genuine or signalling errors. Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve is managed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.