Still in the eye of the storm: Heavy rain and thunderstorms are set to lash Britain for DAYS as miserable start to autumn continues and downpours spark sewage warnings at 71 beaches

• Huge storms and downpours are battering the UK this week – 36,000 lighting strikes recorded on Monday
• A charity said the heavy rain means that 71 beaches in England and Wales will be hit by sewage overflows
• Sewage was poured into the UK’s waterways for 9.5 million hours 2016 to 2021 – equivalent to 1,000 years
• Water companies have been slammed for allowing pollution to run out of control, polluting UK seas and rivers

Swimmers have been warned to avoid more than 70 beaches polluted with sewage as Britain is battered with thunderstorms and heavy rain this week.

Storms and torrential rain are set to sweep across the UK this week with downpours likely to cause flooding in places. 

The storms are expected to disrupt some transport and cause sewage systems to overflow even more – dumping sewage in Britain’s rivers and beaches over the next few days.

Figures from charity Surfers Against Sewage suggest 71 beaches in England and Wales will be hit by sewage dumps after rain flooded water systems on Monday night. 

The Met Office has forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms cross the country for the next few days.

This morning will be dry and windy for many parts of the country, but this afternoon could see thunder and lightning across parts of Wales, the midlands and the south of Scotland. 

Tomorrow, September 8, will see lighting and extreme weather in almost every part of the UK in the early afternoon as huge storms lash the country. 

A photographer captured a stunning lighting strike at Freshwater Bay off the coast of the Isle of Wight as thunderstorms battered the UK 

A huge lightning storm created a stunning spectacle in the skies over Liverpool yesterday afternoon as storms hit the UK

North Wales was also subject to lightning strikes and heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon, with more stormy weather expected throughout the week 

Bognor Regis Beach in West Sussex is one of many beaches currently classed as polluted as sewage pours into seas and rivers

The Met Office forecasts Thursday will see an ‘increasing risk’ of downpours, especially in north-east England and eastern Scotland.

The devastating storms are likely to subside by the weekend, although some thunder and rain is expected. 

More than 36,000 lighting strikes were recorded on Monday as storms raged across large parts of the UK, particularly in the north of Scotland.

A tornado was spotted in Scotland off the coast of Midlothian yesterday afternoon to the surprise of locals.

A Met Office yellow warning of thunderstorms was in force until 11pm on Tuesday for much of central, eastern and north eastern Scotland. 

The Met Office said the tornado was a waterspout, a type of tornado that forms over open water. 

Twitter user Aisling posted a video of it passing Rosewell, Midlothian and wrote: ‘Never seen anything like it. It went right by our house. The video doesn’t capture how intense it was.’ 

Others shared their surprise, with one person writing: ‘Never seen a tornado before in Midlothian’ while another tweeted: ‘Tornado in Midlothian. Crazy weather.’ 

The rain is expected to badly hit the UK’s sewage system, with overflows affecting bathing spots, nature areas and rivers.

Water companies have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks as details have emerged about the shocking volume of sewage being dumped.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas told ministers to ‘cut the c***’ as she accused the government of failing to prevent ‘literal s***’ being pumped into Britain’s waterways.  

Some Conservative MPs suggested water company bosses should not continue to take their ‘huge salaries’ and bonuses when they cannot say their ‘house is in order’.

George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, said the government was working on a ‘scale never seen before’ to tackle the problem of sewage overflows. 

Recent figures have shown a massive increase in the amount of sewage dumped by water companies in the last few years.

Environment Agency data shows the amount of raw sewage being pumped into the UK’s rivers and seas increased by a stunning 2,553 per cent.

From 2016 to 2021, sewage was spewed into waterways for almost 9.5 million hours – 1,076 years.

Britain’s water companies have been slammed for the volume of raw sewage being pumped into Britain’s waterways. Pictured: Waste water being released from an industrial complex into the River Swale in Kent

Water companies have dumped excessive amounts of sewage into rivers and seas in Britain. One place that has been affected is Lake Windermere (pictured) as raw sewage was pumped into the lake for 1,719 hours in 2020

Figures from charity Surfers Against Sewage suggest 71 beaches in England and Wales will be hit by sewage dumps after rain flooded water systems on Monday night. Pictured: Surfers protest against sewage dumping last year 

Many Brits have spotted sewage being pumped into the sea this summer, often close to beaches which have been popular during the hot weather.

Some have even been made ill after unknowingly swimming in raw sewage off the coast after it discharged by water companies. 

The Department for the Environment said in August it would provide £56 billion over the next 25 years to stop raw sewage pouring into seas and rivers.

Water companies have until 2035 to improve sewage overflows next to bathing sites and improve 75 per cent of overflows at nature sites.

This will apply to all waterways by 2050.

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