A consultancy company has used to AI to show what the River Thames will look like if sewage dumping continues – and it's not a pretty sight.

Utility Bidder has compiled data from the Rivers Trust and taken design inspiration from Midjourney and Adobe Firefly to show what the iconic waterway could look like if pollution continues at its current rate.

Alongside the sobering image, data shows that waste and algae could overwhelm the river – with Thames Water emerging as the worst offender for stopping sewage spills of any UK water company.

The utility giant most recently discharged untreated waste into the Thames near Marlow in late September for a 10-hour stint, spurring a local wildlife charity to accuse it of causing "environmental death".

And James Longley, managing director of Utility Bidder, says that timeframe is about average for the disgraced water company – which averaged 11.56 hours for its sewage discharges between 2022 and 2023.

He added that the problems weren't contained to the Thames Valley, with just six local authorities seeing no sewage spills in 2023 – Brighton and Hove, Broxbourne, Cambridge, Hackney, Harlow and Watford.

"What is perhaps even more stark is that the longevity of spills increased for each of the water companies sourced compared to 2022.

READ MORE: 'Unacceptable': Thames Water closes major road for whole weekend to fix water main

"Heading into autumn, heavy downpours and prolonged periods of rain can be expected to overwhelm the UK's drainage infrastructure.

"As a result, sewage spills will continue to be an unpleasant reality and there needs to be as much information shared with UK residents as possible to highlight the current crisis."

TV presenter and naturalist Steve Backshall also described the spills as a “death potion for the Thames” after finding “horrifying” levels of bacteria in water samples downstream of the Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works back in April.

Thames Water has previously attributed “unacceptable” sewage spills in Marlow to heavy rain causing high groundwater and river levels.

The company, which supplies around 16 million households across London and the south-east, is reportedly seeking to borrow £3 billion in emergency loans to stay afloat until next October in a bid to avoid nationalisation.

It is currently in the grip of a funding crisis, with more than £15 billion of debt and only enough cash to keep it afloat until May 2025.