CAMPAIGNERS have demanded a ban on bonuses for water company bosses after it emerged that sewage spills more than doubled last year.

More than 3.6 million hours of raw sewage discharges poured into rivers and seas last year, the Environment Agency said yesterday – a 105 per cent increase compared to the previous 12 months. 

Sewage discharged from storm overflows, which dump untreated sewage during heavy rainfall to stop sewers backing up, increased by 54 per cent, from 301,091 to 464,056 spills.