- Due to dumping of raw sewage, fish in Britain have been ingesting cocaine
- Other drugs and medication have been detected in British waters
- Raw sewage dumping in Britain doubled in 2023
British fish are “full of cocaine” thanks to the amount of raw sewage being dumped into British waterways, a marine biologist has claimed.
Speaking to breakfast news show Good Morning Britain, Professor Alex Ford, a marine biologist at Portsmouth University, said the waters he had examined off the coast near Portsmouth had contained all manner of drugs, as well as prescription medications such as antidepressants.
“Every single marine species that we’ve looked at so far is full of cocaine,” he said.
This news came a day after it was revealed that the number of sewage spills into rivers and seas in England by water companies doubled from 1.75 million hours of spills in 2022 to 3.6 million hours last year, according to research by the Environment Agency.
This dumping is legal and was blamed by Water UK, the industry body for sewerage companies, on exceptionally high rainfall levels last year. In the UK, sewerage systems are combined so rain and sewage share the same pipes. In the event of heavy rainfall, sewage treatment works can become overwhelmed and to stop them backing up, excess sewage is dumped into waterways.
While the news of the pollution levels in waterways is worrying – even crews taking part in the annual Boat Race on the River Thames this weekend have been told not to enter the water due to the risk of becoming sick afterwards – the response online was not always as serious.
Thinking of the fish contaminated with cocaine, @mrhenrymorris posted on X (formerly Twitter): “I don’t understand, how are they rolling up the bank notes?” while actor Stephen McGann added: “The pike have survived, but now they talk the arse off you about their latest business startup idea…”
