UK water companies earned £340m from industrial wastewater permits, raising pollution concerns

British utilities collected over £340 million last year accepting industrial and commercial wastewater at sewage treatment plants not designed to remove many chemical pollutants, allowing contaminants to flow into waterways and farmland.

First covered Oct 8, 2026 · 10:00 PM PT · 1 article · no longer in the live window

UK water companies earned £340m from industrial wastewater permits, raising pollution concerns — Image via theguardian.com

Coverage

33d Guardian Environment Revealed: the ‘black box’ wastewater trade that rakes in millions for UK utility companies — Exclusive: Firms made more than £340m last year from processing industrial and commercial wastewater at sewage works that are unable to remove many chemical…

More coverage from around the web

pressreader.com PressReader.com

riveractionuk.com Water Companies' £1.4bn Industrial Wastewater Trade

inkl.com Revealed: the ‘black box’ wastewater trade that rakes in millions for UK utility companies

biztoc.com Revealed: the ‘black box’ wastewater trade that rakes in millions for UK utility companies

godsviewai.com Revealed: the ‘black box’ wastewater trade that rakes in millions for UK utility companies

Appeared in: 2026-10-09 (#13) · 2026-10-10 (#17)

← Back to the brief