Sewage is estimated to make up 40% of the river’s flow through the town center landmark near King’s College, according to research by the Liberal Democrats. The findings prompted fresh criticism of Anglian Water, which was ranked worst for failing to monitor the amount of sewage it discharges – with almost half of its total discharges (49%) unmeasured. The figures – which the company says are out of date – show it discharged raw sewage for at least 1,689 hours in 2021, the equivalent of more than four and a half hours each day. Anglian Water says the numbers are wrong and that they track almost three quarters of all discharges. Credit: ITV News Anglia Environmental journalist Terry Macalister compared the damage done to the River Cam to vandalism at King’s College Cambridge’s iconic chapel. He told ITV News Anglia that on one occasion, while swimming in the river, he thought he smelled sewage and said clean-up action must be immediate. “I don’t know what I’m swimming in and I don’t know to what extent I’m putting my health at risk,” he said. “People have gotten sick from swimming in the river. These are chalk streams and they are very, very valuable in terms of biodiversity. “King’s College Chapel – which we all revere as a cultural icon for people – we would never let it be destroyed in any way. You could argue that the river in terms of its biodiversity is the equivalent of King’s College Chapel and but we are the abuse and this must stop.” Former pop star Feargal Sharkey says water companies must be held to account. Credit: ITV News Anglia Campaigners such as Feargal Sharkey, the former lead singer of The Undertones, who lives near the River Lee in Hertfordshire, say not enough is being done to tackle the pollution. “The whole thing is quite simply an organized disaster, it’s a crime against all account holders that should fill us all with a mighty righteous anger and rage,” he said. “The River Cam doesn’t have the legal protection, but it suffers the same effects, over-pumping for water supply and what’s left is now pumped full of sewage. “It is a disgrace and the water companies must now be held accountable for their actions and the impact their operations have had on the environment.” Anglian Water told ITV News Anglia that the number of storm leaks is actually falling. Credit: ITV News Anglia Anglian Water said the figures discussed by the Lib Dems were historical and that the company was now tracking almost 75% of all discharges. Company spokesperson Regan Harris told ITV News Anglia that the number of leaks from storms is falling and the company is investing money to tackle the issue. “Monitoring is obviously very important, but it’s actually just as, if not more, important that we address the problem. So we’re investing £200m over five years to effectively stop storm leaks, or at least significantly reduce them.” He said sewage is not the only pollution of the river, pointing to other causes, including from animals swimming in the water. “We know there’s work to do there, we recognize we don’t want our assets to be the cause of unhealthy rivers and seas, but there are many things in the natural environment that can also cause poor water quality in rivers – from ducks and other animals that swim in rivers, to agricultural runoff, urban runoff. There are a lot of things people need to be aware of when swimming.” The government previously said it wanted to reduce discharges into bathing waters by 70% by 2035 and eliminate 160,000 incidents of sewage overflows by 2040. Water Minister Steve Double said earlier this week: “We are the first government to take action to deal with sewage overflows. Work to deal with sewage overflows continues apace.” Want a quick and special update on the biggest news? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out what you need to know…