Concerns have been raised over what lasting damage will be caused to marine life inhabiting the waters across two of the UK’s south-coast harbours, after an investigation into local water quality revealed the presence of a “worryingly wide range of chemicals and pollutants” derived from over 100 unique pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and illegal, recreational drugs. Varying concentrations of each have been found in all of the almost 340 samples of seawater, seaweed, and shellfish collected from 21 test sites between Chichester and Langstone, with recorded readings hitting an ‘all-time high’ when wet weather led to spikes in sewage overflow discharges. These findings – published in the journal Environmental International – land just one week after the release of Environment Agency data showing that last year, raw sewage was released into England’s rivers and seas for a record-breaking 3.61 million hours.