Dirty Business: The Real Story of the UK's Sewage Scandal

You've probably seen the headlines, but how did the UK sewage scandal actually happen, and why has it taken this long to become front page news? In this episode of the Water Matters podcast, Matt is joined by Tim Smedley, author of The Last Drop, to dig into Channel 4's Dirty Business, the three-part docu-drama that brought the UK's sewage crisis to a mainstream audience. They trace how campaigners Ash Smith and Peter Hammond first uncovered illegal sewage releases into the River Windrush, how the introduction of event duration monitors finally made the scale of the problem impossible to ignore, and why water companies were able to discharge untreated sewage into rivers and seas for so long without consequence. Thinking about the state of the UK's water system? Read Tim's blog and join the conversation at watermatters.life