New Times,
New Thinking.

The Great Stink: how England came to swim in sewage

Will Dunn investigates the grotesque state of England's waterways.


The sea is no longer safe to swim in, tomatoes are growing on beaches from seeds in undigested human faeces, and rivers are awash with pig’s blood. When did everything start to go wrong, and who bears the brunt of this grotesque responsibility? 

The Great Stink by Will Dunn is this week’s cover story and you can find it here


Submit a question for our weekly listener questions episode, “You Ask Us”

Subscribers to the New Statesman can listen ad-free in our app. Download it on iOS or Android.

Not a regular podcast listener? Read our guide on how to listen to New Statesman podcasts.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
The Circular Economy: Green growth, jobs and resilience
Water security: is it a government priority?
Defend, deter, protect: the critical capabilities we rely on