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Introduction

The River Ivel is formed of at least eighteen tributaries scattered across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. A sewage spill into any of these tributaries will eventually contaminate the River Ivel. Those communities living in Biggleswade, Sandy, and Tempsford are more likely to be impacted by sewage pollution in the Ivel as they are furthest downstream.

However, it is important that all communities, that live along the Ivel and its tributaries, understand the scale and frequency of sewage spills into their local waterways.

Regulatory Reporting

UK water companies are now legally required to report all sewage spills in real-time. But! They are not yet required to report monthly spill data. RevIvel volunteers use various water company and community-funded websites to extract monthly spill data for the River Ivel and its tributaries.

July 2025 Data

In July 2025, thirteen Anglian Water locations reported a sewage spill. The combined duration of these spills was 24hrs 18mins. A summary table of each spill location is below. Note that all these spill locations happened directly into the River Ivel or one of its tributaries.

The worst top-five spill locations were at Flitton, Henlow, St. Ippollitts, Sandy, and Baldock. The date of the sewage discharges coincided with local heavy rainstorms and is an indication that the wastewater infrastructure is insufficient to support growing communities within the River Ivel catchment area.

Data