Steve Barlcay insists 'no justification' for water firms to profit from illegal spills

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Sewage spills into England’s rivers and seas by water companies more than doubled last year.

By Steph Spyro, Environment Editor and Senior Political Correspondent

15:55, Thu, Apr 4, 2024 | UPDATED: 16:32, Thu, Apr 4, 2024

Steve Barlcay has launched a consultation on banning water executives’ bonuses (Image: Getty)

Steve Barclay has insisted there is “simply no justification” for water firms to profit from illegal sewage dumping while taking aim at fat cat bosses.

The Environment Secretary warned it is for them to take responsibility and root it out.

Campaigners blasted the water industry when figures revealed storm overflows dumped sewage into rivers and seas for more than 3.6 million hours in 2023.

Mr Barclay said: “I share the anger and frustration of members of the public that last week’s historic Oxford-Cambridge boat race was affected by reports of pollution in the River Thames.

“This government has been clear, a step change is needed to protect our waterways from sewage spills and we expect water companies to meet us swiftly in this ambition.

“The Government has also spearheaded significant monitoring action from the water sector in recent years – including fitting 100% of storm overflows with monitors, meeting the target we imposed on water companies to do so by the end of 2023.

“This data has lifted the lid on illegal discharges and allowed the Environment Agency to take enforcement action, and we are also quadrupling inspections on water company assets by the end of the financial year.

“There is simply no justification for anyone to profit from illegal behaviour and it’s time that water company bosses took responsibility for rooting it out.”

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Mr Barclay announced a ban on bonus payments to water company executives when criminal breaches have occurred, subject to a consultation.

Research last week found high levels of E. coli were in the part of the River Thames used for the annual race between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.

All rowing crews were given safety guidance on a range of preventative measures, from covering up scrapes with waterproof plasters to ensuring rowers avoided swallowing any water that splashed up from the Thames.

Mr Barclay said the new £4.5 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel, a super sewer stretching 15.5 miles, will reduce the volume of sewage spills into the River Thames by 95%.

He added: “In the next few months the largest water infrastructure project ever undertaken in the UK, the new £4.5 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel, will reach completion underpinned by a package of government financial support.

“Part of the London Tideway Improvements, this will reduce the volume of sewage spills into the River Thames by 95% and marks eight years of work by government to fix this historic problem – ensuring the pollution issues experienced by rowers last week aren’t repeated.”

But Thames Water’s 15 million customers will be paying for “the UK’s largest water infrastructure project” through their bills.

Bosses at Thames Water have admitted the firm could face the risk of emergency nationalisation as its funding crisis deepened after shareholders refused to give the troubled utility extra cash.

The UK’s biggest water supplier revealed that its investors had pulled a £500 million funding lifeline that was set to be paid at the end of March.

It is understood that investors pulled the deal after water regulator Ofwat refused to bow to the water giant’s demands for a 40% bill hike for customers, an easing of capital spending requirements, as well as leniency on penalties for failing to meet targets.

By Environment Secretary Steve Barclay

I share the anger and frustration of members of the public that last week’s historic Oxford-Cambridge boat race was affected by reports of pollution in the River Thames.

This government has been clear, a step change is needed to protect our waterways from sewage spills and we expect water companies to meet us swiftly in this ambition.

In the next few months the largest water infrastructure project ever undertaken in the UK, the new £4.5 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel, will reach completion underpinned by a package of government financial support.

Part of the London Tideway Improvements, this will reduce the volume of sewage spills into the River Thames by 95% and marks eight years of work by government to fix this historic problem – ensuring the pollution issues experienced by rowers last week aren’t repeated.

However, investment is needed nationwide. That’s why we have set stringent targets for water companies to reduce sewage spills, driving £60 billion of investment over the next 25 years, with priority given first to bathing waters and high priority nature sites to make the biggest difference as quickly as possible.

We also recently accelerated £180m in water company investment expected to prevent more than 8000 sewage spills from polluting English waterways. This money will mean more cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence, and more specialist staff to detect and reduce spills.

The Government has also spearheaded significant monitoring action from the water sector in recent years – including fitting 100% of storm overflows with monitors, meeting the target we imposed on water companies to do so by the end of 2023.

This data has lifted the lid on illegal discharges and allowed the Environment Agency to take enforcement action, and we are also quadrupling inspections on water company assets by the end of the financial year.

There is simply no justification for anyone to profit from illegal behaviour and it’s time that water company bosses took responsibility for rooting it out.

Earlier this year I announced that Ofwat would go further to ban bonus payments to water company executives when criminal breaches have occurred, subject to a consultation.

The Environment Agency are also conducting the largest criminal investigation into unpermitted water company sewage discharges ever at over 2,200 treatment works – and since 2015 they have concluded 60 prosecutions, securing record fines of over £150 million against water companies.

For centuries, the Thames has been a treasured environmental and economic landmark. Projects like the Thames Tideway show us what is possible, and we will continue to go further and faster to implement the measures and infrastructure needed to cleanup our waterways.

ENDS

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