Sewage in our rivers risks spreading deadly 'superbugs'

Sewage in the nation’s waterways puts Britons at even greater risk of diseases which cannot be tackled with antibiotics, a hard-hitting report warns. Action is demanded to prevent the nightmare scenario of a Britain where life expectancy plunges and infections are once again the most common cause of death.

A powerful cross-party group of MPs has sounded the alarm about the threat posed to the UK by a “superbug” epidemic. Babies, the elderly, people with compromised immune systems and certain ethnic groups are thought to be at the highest risk.

The rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens “already contributes to an estimated 35,200 deaths” each year, according to the public accounts committee.

The MPs warn that if antimicrobial resistance (AMR) spirals “out of control” then “basic infections” will become “increasingly difficult to treat”.

Storm overflows are blamed for releasing sewage into rivers and spreading the potential superbugs.

Setting out the danger posed by polluted water, the committee states: “The mismanagement of wastewater and sewage by water companies, itself a serious public health concern with sewage entering waterways, also heightens the threat of AMR by increasing the prevalence and diversity of resistant pathogens in the environment.”

Doctors, vets and pharmacists are urged to ensure antibiotics are only prescribed when necessary. There is strong concern the poorest Britons are at the greatest risk. The committee states the “most deprived fifth of the population” is “nearly 50% more likely to get a drug-resistant bloodstream infection than the least deprived fifth”.

The Government should take these risks seriously when negotiating trade deals with countries with different food standards, the MPs argue. They state it is “particularly important that trade agreements do not weaken the UK’s resilience”. Ministers are urged to take action to ensure superbugs do not thrive, not just in the UK but around the world. Cuts to international development, they caution, will put efforts “under pressure”.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who chairs the committee, said: “There is arguably no more haunting silhouette on the horizon for the entire world than AMR. If left unchecked, the loss of functional antibiotics has the potential to turn the clock back on modern medicine’s capabilities to an unimaginable degree, to a time when infection was the most common cause of death, and life expectancy an average two decades lower.” Warning that the “failed regulation of the water sector” creates “public health risks in this space”, he pledged the committee would report on this topic.

Sir Geoffrey said the NHS should put “slowing the spread of AMR right at the core of its work” and the Government must “place itself right at the cutting edge of scientific developments to shield the public from its harms”.

He said the UK can take pride in showing “global leadership” on this issue but added: “We implore the Government to keep any potential domino effects created by its policymaking on aid and trade in particular uppermost in its thoughts, lest the nation’s resilience to AMR be unwittingly harmed.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Antimicrobial resistance is a serious global threat - our AMR National Action Plan outlines how we are urgently tackling its spread, both in the UK and overseas.

"We have made important progress, including reducing antibiotic use in food-producing animals and pioneering a world-first subscription model to incentivise the development of new treatments. We are working closely with international partners, including during trade discussions, to mobilise global efforts to limit the spread of AMR.”