Raw sewage spilled into English rivers 824 times a day last year

Figure comes despite barely any rainfall during year and prompts call for environment secretary to resign

Raw sewage was spilled into English rivers 824 times a day last year – despite the fact there was barely any rainfall and most of the country was in drought.

Thérèse Coffey, the environment secretary, is facing calls from the Liberal Democrats to resign over failures to stop sewage spills, as the party argues she “doesn’t care” about the issue.