Yorkshire Water's sewage pollution incidents rose from 151 to 260 in 2025, earning a one-star EA rating. Ripon MP Sir Julian Smith says delivery now matters.
Yorkshire Water has been rated a one-star “poor performing company” by the Environment Agency for 2025, the lowest rating on its four-star scale and the company’s worst result in the agency’s figures going back to 2011.
The agency’s Yorkshire Water environmental performance report for 2025, published on 29 October, shows pollution incidents from its sewers and treatment works rose from 151 in 2024 to 260 in 2025. Sir Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, said on Friday 30 October that residents “will be deeply disappointed” and that he will be watching whether the company’s promised improvements arrive.
What the Environment Agency found
The agency scores each water and sewerage company on six measures. Yorkshire Water was rated red, significantly below target, on three of them and green on the other three. It was one of four of the nine companies in England given one star, according to the report.
- Pollution incidents from sewerage: red. There were 260 incidents in categories 1 to 3, against 101 or fewer needed for green. That works out at 50 per 10,000km of sewer, worse than the sector figure of 41. The largest sources were foul sewers (93 incidents), sewage treatment works (87), pumping stations (39) and rising mains (22).
- Serious pollution incidents: red. There were 13 serious (category 1 and 2) incidents, all from sewerage assets, the same total as 2024. The target for green was none. Five came from foul sewers and four from sewage treatment works.
- Delivery of environmental improvement schemes: red. In the year to March 2026, 68 schemes were completed on time and five missed their deadlines, all of them water quality schemes, a 93.2% record against the 100% needed for green.
- Self-reporting: green. The company reported 82% of all its incidents itself, and 94% of those at pumping stations and treatment works.
- Discharge permit compliance: green, at 99.0%, with three of 292 sewage treatment works outlets failing their permits.
- Sludge disposal: green, at 100% satisfactory.
Its overall star rating has fallen from four stars, “industry leading”, in 2020 to two stars in 2021, three in 2022, two in 2023 and 2024, and one star now.
The 2025 total of 260 is the highest since 2011, when the agency recorded 289, and more than double the 117 in 2022.
Storm overflows
The same report lists 2,184 active storm overflows across Yorkshire Water’s network, all fitted with monitors. The 2,176 that returned spill data spilled an average of 23.6 times each during 2025, with each spill lasting an average of 5.6 hours.
In Knaresborough, the company is drilling five boreholes on The Parsonage from 2 November to plan work on the Waterside overflow, which spilled 16 times in 2025.
What Sir Julian said
“Residents across Skipton and Ripon will be deeply disappointed to see Yorkshire Water formally receive a one-star environmental rating,” he said.
“People rightly expect our rivers, streams and countryside to be protected, and they expect water companies to meet the highest environmental standards. This rating confirms that Yorkshire Water still has a long way to go.
“While I welcome the company’s acknowledgement of its failings and its commitment to invest in improvements, what matters now is delivery. Local communities want to see fewer pollution incidents, cleaner waterways and better environmental performance.
“Yorkshire Water has set out its investment programme and a number of practical measures aimed at reducing pollution and improving its network. I will be monitoring their progress to ensure those commitments translate into positive results for residents and for our environment.”
According to his office, the company has confirmed it is investing £8.3 billion across Yorkshire by 2030 and is rolling out a programme of operational and infrastructure improvements.
What it means for you
The rating does not change your water bill or your supply. It is the regulator’s yearly judgement of how much harm the company’s sewers, pumping stations and treatment works did to rivers and land,.
If you see sewage in a river, a stream or a street, or a polluted watercourse anywhere in the Harrogate district, report it to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
The full breakdown for each measure, with figures back to 2011, is in the Environment Agency’s Yorkshire Water report.
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