Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb is backing a Private Members’ Bill that proposes to eliminate sewage from polluting rivers.
Ludlow MP Philip Dunne has tabled his Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill and it now has the support of more than 100 MPs. The proposed law will stop water companies discharging sewage into rivers, lakes and other waterways.
In 2019, there were over 200,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers.
Suzanne has also welcomed a joint industry-government move to tackle environmental damage from storm overflows of sewage and the government's commitment to solve the problem.
The Storm Overflows Taskforce – made up of Defra, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, Consumer Council for Water, Blueprint for Water and Water UK – has agreed to set a long-term goal to eliminate harm from storm overflows.
They were designed to be used during extreme weather to prevent sewers becoming overloaded. However, climate change has led to increased rainfall and water infrastructure has not kept pace.
Water companies will accelerate work to install monitoring devices to create a complete picture of their activity by 2023. They have also agreed with the taskforce to publish annual monitoring data to help reduce their use.
“This is an important issue that needs legislation and a joint approach both from the government and the water industry to improve and eventually solve,” said Suzanne.
“I certainly support Philip’s bill, which will give some real legislative clout to addressing this form of pollution, and I welcome the taskforce too because without co-operation we will struggle to make our rivers cleaner.
“This is a big task and it is not just about sewage. Recent data from the Environment Agency, published just last year, found all English rivers failed to meet standards for pollution due to sewage discharges and agricultural and industrial chemicals in their water.”
