Exclusive Data Shows Sharp Rise in Pollution Incident Downgrades Without Site Visits
Environment Agency (EA) staff in England have downgraded thousands of serious pollution incidents by water companies without conducting on-site investigations, according to data obtained through freedom of information (FoI) requests. The figures, uncovered by whistleblower Robert Forrester, indicate a significant shift in regulatory practices, raising concerns about oversight and enforcement in the water industry.
Whistleblower Exposes Alarming Trends in Pollution Reporting
Robert Forrester, a former EA employee with 21 years of experience, left the agency in January after years of advocating for stronger environmental protection. His identity was recently revealed in the Channel 4 docudrama Dirty Business, and he continues to campaign for transparency. The data he obtained shows that in 2024, water companies reported 2,778 serious pollution incidents. Of these, 2,735 (98%) were downgraded to minor incidents by EA officials.
Critically, officers only attended 496 of these incidents before downgrading them; the remaining cases were reclassified based solely on evidence provided by the water companies themselves. This represents a nearly 1,500% increase from 2021, when 174 incidents were downgraded, with only 60 attended by officers. Out of the initial 2,778 serious incidents, the EA officially recorded just 75 as serious, marking a 60% rise from 2023.
Conflict of Interest in Funding and Regulatory Oversight
Forrester highlighted a potential conflict of interest, noting that the EA's water regulation budget is heavily funded by the industry it oversees. For the 2025-26 financial year, the agency expects to receive approximately £149 million from water companies through permit charges and a new enforcement levy, out of a total budget of £189 million for water regulation. "The regulator is in too close a relationship with the water companies," Forrester said. "They are being funded from the money the water companies pay for their permits, and as a result, the regulator appears to be loosening its regulatory hold over them."
He contrasted this with practices from over a decade ago, when officers were encouraged to visit sites, investigate thoroughly, and enforce regulations proactively. "Water companies are still controlling our attendance," he added, expressing concern over the reliance on company-provided evidence without independent verification.
Historical Context and Whistleblower Retaliation
Forrester's efforts to expose issues date back to 2017, when a report on the toxicity of sewage sludge was withheld from public scrutiny. This report, eventually published by Greenpeace in 2020, revealed that sewage waste used on crops contained dangerous pollutants like dioxins and furans at levels posing health risks. Forrester, who had seen the findings, described them as "horrendous" and akin to "scrapings off a gasworks."
His activism led to professional repercussions, including suspension and restricted duties, which he believes were due to suspicions of whistleblowing. In 2021, while Forrester was suspended, then-EA chief executive James Bevan warned staff against speaking to the media—a move criticized by Andrew Pepper-Parsons of the whistleblowing charity Protect, who argued that regulators should encourage transparency rather than suppress it.
Environment Agency Response and Future Outlook
An EA spokesperson defended the agency's approach, stating: "We receive 100,000 reports a year and respond to every water pollution incident, all of which are carefully assessed. We focus our resources on the most serious incidents using all our investigative tools, from real-time data to on-the-ground inspections." The spokesperson added that with increased funding and powers, the EA is on track to conduct 10,000 inspections of water company assets this year to drive better performance.
Despite this, Forrester, now unemployed, plans to collaborate with campaigners to continue exposing sewage pollution and holding water companies accountable. The data underscores ongoing challenges in environmental regulation, with implications for river health and public safety across England.
