Traces of drugs found in marine life after sewage pumped into British waters

Traces of drugs have been found in marine life, thanks to the untreated sewage being pumped into British waters, according to a joint study by two leading UK universities, which this programme has been given exclusive access to.

The research by Brunel and the University of Portsmouth shows that drugs such as antidepressants and cocaine are affecting the ability of marine life to reproduce and even causing it to change sex.

Funding for the Environment Agency, which oversees water quality, has fallen by almost a half in the last decade.