Sara Britcliffe MP has this week backed the next stage of the government’s plan to tackle sewage pollution by further strengthening legal requirements.
In August 2022 the government set out its plan which requires the largest infrastructure programme in water company history to tackle sewage overflows. The 60 page plan prioritises investments in priority sites including protected habitats and bathing waters. Since then £1.6 billion investment has been brought forward to speed up vital water infrastructure projects, cutting thousands of overflow spills each year.
Just last month, United Utilities, who cover the North West, announced their largest ever environmental improvement programme, bringing forward over £900m of investment to reduce the impact of storm overflows and improve river water quality.
Ministers also reconfirmed that they will be unleashing unlimited penalties so that polluters pay for their impact on the environment, with funds now being reinvested into rivers and water bodies. This weeks' next step will place the target in the Sewage Overflow Reduction Plan on a statutory footing.
Secretary of State Therese Coffey MP said:
It was a Conservative government that introduced 100 per cent monitoring of storm overflows. We’ve brought forward stronger regulations, tougher enforcement, and the largest water infrastructure programme in history – an expected £56 billion investment – and we will make fines unlimited so that the polluter always pays.
The Environment Secretary has written to water companies requiring a plan on every overflow on her desk by the end of June. This builds on work to introduce mandatory monitoring, which is up from just 7% in 2010 to 100% by the end of this year. Thanks to this monitoring, regulators are undertaking the largest investigation into water companies in their history related to illegal sewage dumping, building on record fines of £141m secured since 2015.
Sara Britcliffe MP said:
Hyndburn residents are rightly disgusted by sewage in our rivers, and so am I. I’ve been clear – I will always hold water companies to account where they fall foul of expectations.
Meanwhile the Labour Party voted against the measures, and then abstained on their own motion.
Sara Britcliffe MP said:
This is yet another political gimmick from the Labour Party. We deal in action; they shout from the side lines.
I voted for the Government to set a target, in law, for the reduction of sewage discharges, to provide for financial penalties in relation to sewage discharges and breaches of monitoring requirements, and to carry out an impact assessment of sewage discharges.
The measures will now be brought forward in a deliverable and cost effective way for taxpayers.
Sadly Labour voted against, instead proposing a measure that would have seen your water bills triple over the next decade.
I'll always hold water companies to account, and ensure the polluter pays, not the hardworking people of Hyndburn & Haslingden.
