A WATER company has apologised after a dog became ill from swimming in river water containing untreated sewage.

Wessex Water operated storm overflows in the River Avon on Tuesday morning, releasing sewage diluted with rainwater into a dog walking hotspot.

Following this, Katie Reed let her dog Hugo paddle in the water without knowing about the discharge.

One day later he was sent to the vet to be treated with anti-sickness jabs.

Read more: ​Dog becomes 'violently' sick after swimming in River Avon

A spokesperson for Wessex Water said there are "numerous sources" of bacteria in the river including wildlife faeces, agricultural run-off and regulated treated sewage discharges.

"We’re sorry to hear about the dog becoming poorly after swimming in the river. There are numerous sources of bacteria in rivers, from wildlife faeces and agricultural run-off as well as regulated overflows and treated sewage discharges.

Storm overflows are designed to act as relief valves when the sewerage system is at risk of being overwhelmed during heavy rainfall.

Yet, in 2022 there were 2986
hours of sewage spills into Salisbury rivers.

See more: ​Sewage and toxic chemicals: How polluted are Salisbury's rivers?

The spokesperson added: "We’re sorry to hear about the dog becoming poorly after swimming in the river.

“Our storm overflows, which are licensed by the Environment Agency, can automatically operate following rainfall to protect homes from flooding."

Wessex Water said it is committed to eliminating untreated sewage discharges and will be upping investments to £9 million to tackle storm overflows if approved by regulators.