The Sewage Scandal – When Law Collapses and Lawyers Must Rebuild

Introduction

What would you say if someone were dumping raw sewage in your backyard, day in and day out? You'd be up in arms, ringing the police, lawyers, or the media. But what if the culprits are sanctioned by the very institutions that are meant to protect us? A BBC investigation last week revealed potentially hundreds of illegal dry sewage spills across England. But it gets worse. The UK's Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) suspects that the government and regulators have broken the law over how they regulate sewage releases. How did we get here, and what does this mean for the field of environmental law and lawyers navigating these muddy waters?