There’s been sewage in the seas and oceans for as long as there’s been sewage in proximity to those places. Long before caring for the environment as it’s now understood was even a concept. I’d hazard a guess that on a population density normalized comparison for developed countries there has never been a better time for responsible sewage handling. That’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of problems like this article highlights, just that it probably has not been better in the past. Hopefully the UK courts will hand this lady a decisive win and reinforce the idea that industry does have responsibility.