Suspected sewage pollution: record what you see and use the right reporting route
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If you notice suspected sewage pollution near an off-mains property, focus on a clear description and the correct reporting route. You do not need to identify the faulty component before describing what you have observed.
Keep people and animals away from the affected area while the situation is assessed. Do not enter water, open a tank or trace an underground pipe to improve the report.
Separate an observation from a diagnosis
Write down where you were, when you noticed the problem and what was visible. Use plain descriptions, such as discoloured water at a named point, rather than asserting that a particular neighbour's tank has failed.
Distinguish direct observations from information someone else supplied. If you did not see the discharge start, do not give a guessed starting time as a fact. Record when you first noticed it instead.
From a safe, lawful position, photographs can help explain the location and appearance. Do not trespass or approach a hazard for a better image. Reporting should not depend on collecting a sample yourself.
Use the service for the relevant nation
The GOV.UK: report water pollution in England covers sewage and other water pollution in England's rivers, sea, lakes, reservoirs, canals and smaller watercourses. It asks where the pollution is and when you noticed it. Its page links to separate reporting routes for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In England, the online service allows a location description or map. Personal details are optional unless you want contact; an email address is needed to send photos or receive a reference number. The same page gives the Environment Agency's 24-hour incident hotline, 0800 80 70 60, if you cannot use the online service.
The service says rubbish in water should be reported to the local council instead. If the problem is a different kind of environmental incident, use the linked guidance to identify the appropriate route rather than forcing it into a sewage report.
Keep reporting and repair separate
Reporting suspected pollution does not repair a private drainage system. If your system may be involved, contact an appropriate maintenance professional and explain both the observations and any report already made. Do not attempt unfamiliar treatment adjustments or tank work while waiting.
Save the report time, reference if obtained, photographs and professional advice in the property's maintenance record. Keep the wording factual so someone arriving later can distinguish the first observation from subsequent findings.
Understand what happens next
The England reporting page says the Environment Agency reviews reports and decides whether action is needed, and that reporters will not receive updates. Do not treat a lack of a progress message as confirmation that the water is clean or a private system is operating correctly.
Continue to follow the relevant authority's and competent professional's instructions. An incident record is useful evidence for those conversations; it is not a water-quality test or a compliance certificate.
Sources
Source checked on 23 October 2026.