On days when it wasnt raining, which is illegal. The practice is known as dry spilling and is banned because it can cause environmental harm. Lets go live to our environment Correspondentjonah Fisher whos at Langstone Harbour in hampshire. Thanks. Last year, ourWater Companies in england released raw sewage into our seas and rivers for 1. 75 million hours. Sewage was discharged on average 825 times every day. Breaking that down still further, that means there was a new sewage discharge, roughly speaking, every two minutes. Rural west sussex, and one of southern englands celebrated chalk streams. So here we are, welcome to the river lavant or as we locally call it, the river lav. The river lav. The lav, just full of effluent. Rob, a retired businessman, is notjoking. There would be no river lavant in the summer without the treated discharges from the next door sewage plant. When we came it was overflowing, so we had the Storm Overflow coming out here, untreated sewage coming out here. And we came back a few days later, it was still going on. A few days later, still going on. Rob filmed what looks like a white fungus growing on the sewage slick. But why was it spilling . There was no rain on the day the flow began, or on any of the previous three days. Rob complained, the Environment Agency investigated, and though Southern Water was found to have broken the rules, it was only given a warning. They treated it as a one off, absolutely, whereas it had been going for probably three to four months, and continued for three to four months afterwards. It is a scandal. Over the last few years, the Water Companies have been forced by the government to report details of when and where they discharge raw sewage. Its only supposed to happen when the system is overwhelmed, after heavy rainfall, or snow. Its not supposed to take place, as it did here, during periods of dry weather. So how common are these dry spills . To find out, the bbc requested details from all nine english Water Companies. Three of the largest complied, providing us with huge amounts of data. We then cross referenced that with rainfall, and found what looks like nearly 400 sewage spills, lasting thousands of hours, that started during dry weather. Many of the Water Companies, like Southern Water at the lavant, say Groundwater Leaking into cracked pipes is behind some of the spills. Thames water apologised for some of theirs. Wessex said some of the data they had given us was flawed. There should never be a dry spill, and any suggestion that there has been one should be investigated fully by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is the regulator, they are the people who will do the detailed investigation and understanding of why that has happened, and what they are going to do about it, in terms of was it a breach, is there an explanation or frankly had the Water Companies literally dropped the ball . The Environment Agency, the regulator, has experienced years of cuts, though more money is now being made available to monitor sewage. It is the water companys job not to pollute our environment. It is yourjob to police them. That is what we are doing. But youre not doing very well, are you, because the spills are still taking place. But in the last eight years alone we have brought 59 prosecutions with fines totalling £150 million. The agency says its also looking at potentially illegal spills, and is now working on it what it is calling its largest ever criminal investigation. The question that follows on from this is how are we going to fix this . And the answer is money, lots of money is needed to invest in the decrepit pipe networks, the Sewage Treatment plants that dont have the capacity to process enough sewage at the moment. Where is that money going to come from . You speak to campaigners, they tell you they would like the Water Companies to pay for it out of their back pockets, that is not going to happen, when you speak to the water company. Orthe happen, when you speak to the water company. Or the government. They are making it quite clear that if this problem is to be solved, if the billions of pounds is going to be found to invest in improving our Sewage Network so we dont see legal or illegal spills, water bills are going to have to rise, you and i are all going to have to pay for it. Jonah fisher. Europes biggest Local Authority, Birmingham City council, has effectively filed for bankruptcy. It has issued a section 114 notice, which prevents all but essential spending. Earlier this year, the council began talks with the government after revealing it was struggling with outgoings including equal pay claims and the implementation of a new it system. We will have much more on that story in the coming minutes. The government has been accused of taking a sticking plaster approach to carrying out Essential Maintenance on school buildings, by the head of the spending watchdog, the National Audit office. Writing in the times, Gareth Davies says the unflashyjob of repairs has been neglected. More than a hundred schools in england havent been able to fully open this week because of problems caused by weak concrete. Ellie price reports. At least the fence will look good, but this school in birmingham needs some serious work to make sure its safe. The Aston Manor Academy has a problem with raac and is going to be closed until at least next monday. Parents are frustrated. With the pandemic, not being coming to school for months, and then we have had the six week holiday, now coming Back To School and school is saying they cant come back until the 11th. It is just more time away from school, and he needs to be in school, because he has his gcses. Up in scarborough, a similar story. No lessons this week at this school. Two thirds of their buildings also contain raac. They have had support beams up for a while, holding the school up, and theyjust told us it is a few areas. It is a bit scary now knowing that some things might like collapse, and it will be scary if it did collapse on us. In an unusual intervention, the head of the National Audit office today accused the government of a sticking plaster approach to school maintenance, and said the unflashy but essentialjob of looking after buildings had been neglected. The government still hasnt released a list of all the schools affected, which labour says is unfair. Because parents want to know what is happening. It is clearly unacceptable to leave schools in the lurch for months and months, and it is, as one head teacher said to me yesterday, these are darker days than covid for our children. Reporter how long are i the children going to be out of schools, minister . This morning the Education Secretary kept her words brief. But the government has been at pains to calm parents. There are 22,000 schools in england, although investigations are still very much under way. So farjust 150 are affected. Two in wales and 35 in scotland. Think about the school estate, it is only schools that are built or extended between the 50s and the � 90s, half of all schools either built before that date or after that date, so parents can be reassured. That comes at little comfort for the parents of children who cant go back in to school this week, and for the government, the image of crumbling public buildings is not one they can gloss over. Ellie price, bbc news. The grandfather of ten year old sara sharif, who was found dead last month at her home in surrey, has spoken to the bbc. He confirmed that he had met his son, saras father, in pakistan who told him sara had died in an accident. Postmortem tests found sara sustained multiple and extensive injuries. Urfan sharif left the uk before his daughters body was discovered, along with his partner and his brother. Surrey police want to speak to the three of them, but so far they have not been found. The little girls grandfather Muhammed Sharif has been talking to our pakistan correspondent, caroline davies. Did urfan tell you what had happened to sara . Translation it was an accident. Nothing more than that. How it happened, he didnt say. Whenever urfan will come out he will explain to police here, and in the uk, and will face the case. He cant live in hiding for a long time. After sara died, did he explain to you why he had come to pakistan . Translation because of fear. What was he afraid of . Translation his daughter died, and when you undergo so much trauma obviously you cant think properly. They returned out of fear, nothing else. What was sara like as a little girl . Very nice, very beautiful. Very lovely. Translation im saddened because of my granddaughter, she died. The grief will always stay with me for the rest of my life. He has a message for urfan sharif, Beinash Batool and faisal malik. Translation wherever they are, they will be able to listen to this. | i say they should come out, defend their case, whatever it is. They should answer the questions. I dont say they should stay in hiding. What became increasingly clear, speaking what became increasingly clear, speaking to Muhammad Sharif, is the amount speaking to Muhammad Sharif, is the amount of speaking to Muhammad Sharif, is the amount of pressure he and the family feel they amount of pressure he and the family feel they are under from the pakistan feel they are under from the pakistan police. When i spoke to him, pakistan police. When i spoke to him. He pakistan police. When i spoke to him, he was at court, arguing against him, he was at court, arguing against what he says is the polices illegal against what he says is the polices illegal detention of several members of their illegal detention of several members of theirfamily during illegal detention of several members of their family during the process of questioning. That process, the police of questioning. That process, the police have said that they dont have police have said that they dont have those members of the family, and now have those members of the family, and now the court has ordered for a two week and now the court has ordered for a two week review to find out what has happened~ two week review to find out what has happened. But when i asked Muhammad Sharif what happened. But when i asked Muhammad Sharif what he thought of the fact that his sharif what he thought of the fact that his son had come to pakistan, he said that his son had come to pakistan, he said he that his son had come to pakistan, he said he should not have come, he said he he said he should not have come, he said he should have faced questioning in the uk. Caroline, thank yom questioning in the uk. Caroline, thank you. Caroline questioning in the uk. Caroline, thank you. Caroline davies questioning in the uk. Caroline, thank you. Caroline davies in i thank you. Caroline davies in islamabad. Now we are going to return to the story about a Birmingham City council. It has effectively filed for bankruptcy, issuing a section 114 order, preventing all but essential spending. How has it reached this point . Spending. How has it reached this oint . Spending. How has it reached this oint . , ,. , spending. How has it reached this oint . ,. , point . These issues have been bubbfinu point . These issues have been bubbling away. Point . These issues have been bubbling away, not point . These issues have been bubbling away, notjust point . These issues have been bubbling away, not just for point . These issues have been bubbling away, notjust for months now, but for years. Bubbling away, notjust for months now, but foryears. In bubbling away, notjust for months now, but for years. In 2012, a now, but foryears. In 2012, a landmark now, but for years. In 2012, a Landmark Court ruling meant the city council had to pay to settle a number of equal pay claims to mostly female staff who had missed out on bonuses which were paid to mostly male staff. Over the past decade or so, they have already paid out more than £1 billion to settle those claims. But earlier this summer, it was announced that they still had up to £760 million, rising more and more every month, still left to pay. That is really the straw that has broken the camels back today. There has been a botched it system, a new one, that was being rolled out, which has cost £100 million. Plus the pressures that are being felt by every Local Authority up and down the country, particularly around things like the rising cost of social care and the after effects of the pandemic. And all of that has meant that today it has effectively waved the white flag, asking for Government Intervention and ensuring that section 114 notice. What does this mean for the people actually living here in birmingham a question of the residents of the city . That is not only the most important question, but also a difficult one to answer at the moment, as the City Council Decides how it is going to get to a point where it is stable again. We know that it said in a Statement Today that it will protect core services, but all new Spending Commitments will now not be going ahead, and it has halted all nonessential spending. There are lots of things apply here. The city employs more than 10,000 people, they were asked if any of them wanted to leave as part of a voluntary severance scheme which was announced just last month. We waited to see what the impact of that will be on whether that will help them claw back some of the shortfall. But this is obviously incredibly concerning news, and even Downing Street today has acknowledged this is concerning news for the residents of birmingham. The time is 13. 15. Our top story this afternoon. A bbc investigation suggests that three major Water Companies illegally spilt sewage in dry weather on more than 380 occasions last year. And still to come, the us says kimjong un is planning to make a rare trip outside north korea, to hold talks in russia with President Putin. Coming up on bbc news. We hearfrom inside the england camp, as steve borthwick� s side prepare for their opening match of the rugby world cup, which begins in france later this week. We reported yesterday on women who say their children were forced by Family Courts to have contact with their fathers, even when the men had been accused of abuse. Today we hearfrom mothers whove fled abroad abducting their children. They all say they were victims of Domestic Abuse, and that theyve been let down by the courts in being accused of parental alienation thats when a child rejects one parent because of manipulation by the other. Our special correspondent ed thomas reports from turkish controlled northern cyprus, where many of the women now live. You may find some of what they say upsetting. Victims of domestic violence. I was raped. Family court just didnt listen. Hidden, and on the run. If id stayed in england, id be dead. It was state sanctioned abuse. For the first time, mothers who fled uk Family Courts, abducting their children, tell their stories. I was abused by that court, as well as my husband. When i left him, there was a campaign of abuse. I was stalked. I was harassed. Rose not her real name was the first to tell her story. My daughter, shed come back with bruises, all documented. And when your child says, mummy, daddys hurting me, it breaks you. Roses Story Highlights complex family court cases. Her partner was never convicted of a crime, but weve seen multiple Police Reports written at the time that said she was at risk of Domestic Abuse. I was referred to victim support. I broke court orders on the advice of the police, but the court wanted contact at all costs. Rose has never been accused of physically harming her child, but she was accused of alienating her ex. The court said, if you dont send your child, were going to remove her. And they did. The concept parental alienation is controversial. There are calls for it to be banned. And weve learnt the government is investigating its use in our Family Courts. We cant move from here. We are safe, but in a type of prison. And rose isnt alone. Weve been told dozens of women, victims of Domestic Abuse, have fled ukFamily Courts, and many are now hiding in turkish controlled northern cyprus. We made the same journey to ask why. Id face bursts of anger. Thats when alarm bells started to go off. Id be manhandled, left full of bruises. In all, i made about 50 separate phone calls to the police. This mum were calling suzanne fled after a decade of family court hearings. I was in and out of court all the time, it got so bad. Over 120 appearances. The bbc has seen multiple Police Reports detailing Domestic Abuse against suzanne. I was going to have a breakdown. I was literally screaming in my head. Health professionals said she was suffering trauma, but suzanne was accused of alienation. I was not list