London's rivers
Where does the sewage go after it rains?
Into the nearest river, then down to the Thames. But the Thames is tidal, so twice a day it pushes back upstream, up rivers like the Lea toward Stratford.
Right now
--
rain in the last 24 hours
--
Thames and Lea outfalls spilling now
--
tide at Silvertown
Rain
over London
Rain and sewage share a pipe.
London's Victorian sewers carry both. When heavy rain fills them, the extra spills straight into the river.
See what's spilling now →Spill
into the rivers
Sometimes a shower is enough.
It doesn't take a storm. Plenty of London's spills follow a few hours of light rain.
See what sets them off →Usual rain before a spill
-- mm
Tide
on the Thames
Then the tide decides.
The Thames through London is tidal. Twice a day it pushes back upstream, and up creeks like Bow Creek. If an outfall spills while the tide is rising, the sewage goes upstream first.
See where it goes →How we know
Live readings come in every 15 minutes. Past spills go back to January 2024.
- Spills
- Thames Water
- Rain before a spill
- Open-Meteo
- Rain now
- Wanstead Park gauge
- Tide
- Silvertown gauge