The guests are Paul Powlesland, environmental barrister and founder of Lawyers for Nature, and Ash Smith, founder of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) and former Detective Superintendent with Thames Valley Police. Their combined evidence, legal commentary and investigative experience point to a system under extreme strain and a regulatory framework facing growing public and political scrutiny.
Hosted by Philip Greenwood, founder of Waterways Protection, the episode was recorded aboard Lightship 95 at Trinity Buoy Wharf on the River Thames.
Why This Matters Now
England is entering one of the most turbulent periods in modern water governance:
- The Southern Water Camber Sands biobead spill has released large quantities of plastic filtration media into the marine environment, raising concerns about long-term chemical and microplastic impacts
- Cleanup efforts have so far recovered only a fraction of the material, according to campaigners and independent reports
- Heavy winter rainfall has triggered repeated sewage discharges at bathing sites across the country
- In some areas, treatment works have come under such pressure that they are no longer consistently treating sewage during peak rainfall, according to guests featured in the episode
- Water companies are proposing significant bill increases while acknowledging challenges in meeting all statutory obligations
- Recent studies have detected microplastics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals in drinking water sources
- The long-term sustainability of the privatised model remains under debate amid continuing financial outflows from the sector
The episode links these events to deeper, structural challenges in regulation, finance, enforcement and governance.
Key Quotes from Episode 1
(All quotes sourced directly from the recorded transcript.)
Paul Powlesland:
"We need a nationwide Sewage Doomsday Survey. Until we know where the discharges are happening, we cannot fix them."
Ash Smith:
"The profits taken from the water sector were only possible through illegal activity. That makes them proceeds of crime."
Philip Greenwood:
"During heavy rainfall, England's treatment plants have effectively stopped treating sewage. They become sources of pollution, and that contamination is reaching drinking water systems."
Quotes represent the views of the individuals featured and are included as part of the episode discussion.
What Episode 1 Covers
- Unlawful and unmonitored sewage discharges
- Microplastic contamination, including biobead losses from treatment works
- How major infrastructure costs are passed to billpayers
- Financial outflows through dividends, debt servicing and shareholder payments
- Questions around regulatory independence and oversight
- Public health implications linked to contaminated rivers, coasts and water supplies
- How rainfall-induced overflows are turning treatment plants into pollution sources
- The role of existing legislation and why it is not being fully enforced
What People Vs Sewage Adds to the National Conversation
- First-hand insights from two of the UK's leading clean water campaigners
- Legal analysis from a barrister active in environmental law and litigation
- An evidence-based breakdown of the financial, legal and environmental pressures facing the sector
- Challenges to key narratives used by industry and government
- Citizen-led approaches to identifying illegal discharges and underreported pollution
- A clear connection between present-day headlines and long-term system decline
Podcast Launch Details
Podcast Title: People Vs Sewage
Episode 1: The Sewage State
Guests: Paul Powlesland, Ash Smith
Host and Producer: Philip Greenwood
Recording Location: Lightship 95, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London
Available On:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3QU67z9vsP2XwuWqKpRdzh
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZywLA_dFOA
Apple Podcasts: Link pending (Apple processing)
Podbean: https://peoplevssewage.podbean.com/e/episode-1-the-sewage-state-who-controls-our-water/
Media Assets
- Westminster key visual (square)
- Westminster key visual (horizontal)
- Studio key visual with title (horizontal)
- Studio group photo – Greenwood, Smith, Powlesland
- Portrait – Ash Smith
- Portrait – Paul Powlesland
About Waterways Protection
Waterways Protection is an independent UK watchdog working to expose failures in the water sector, challenge weak regulation, and advocate for stronger environmental and public health protections. Its work includes collaboration with the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme.
Press Contacts
Philip Greenwood
Host and Producer
team@waterwaysprotection.org
X: @WaterWaysProtct
Ash Smith
Windrush Against Sewage Pollution
ash.smith@windrushwasp.org
https://x.com/WindrushWasp
Paul Powlesland
Lawyers for Nature
paul.powlesland@gardencourtchambers.co.uk
https://x.com/paulpowlesland
101-Word News Desk Summary
People Vs Sewage, a new UK investigative podcast, launches today with environmental barrister Paul Powlesland calling for a national "Sewage Doomsday Survey" to identify unmonitored pollution points across England's rivers. The debut episode features Powlesland and Ash Smith of WASP, exploring illegal discharges, biobead contamination, enforcement gaps and long-term financial pressures on the water system. With new concerns over microplastics in drinking water and biobead fallout linked to Southern Water, the series ties recent headlines to broader governance challenges. Episode 1, The Sewage State, is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Podbean.
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