By Guy Taylor Anti-sewage campaigners reacted with fury yesterday after it was revealed under-fire water firms had funded a study claiming “low public understanding” was partly to blame for the backlash against the sector. The UK’s biggest water companies have faced stinging criticism and multimillion pound fines for the amount of sewage leaked into British rivers and seas in recent years. There were 3.6m hours of spills in 2023, according to the Environment Agency, more than double the prior year. Many firms have failed to adequately invest in the infrastructure needed to cope with heavier ra…