LICHFIELD’S MP has called for water company bosses to face consequences for failures to deal with sewage spills.
Dave Robertson’s comments follow the publication of data that revealed record levels of sewage were pumped into Britain’s rivers in 2023.
The number of sewage discharges in the Lichfield constituency skyrocketed by 67%, to 560 sewage spills in 2023 compared to 336 in 2022.
Speaking in Parliament this week, the Labour MP said there should be “nowhere to hide” for water company bosses behind such incidents.
It comes as the UK and Welsh governments launched a new Independent Water Commission to review the water industry and ensure the necessary regulations are brought in to clean up our waterways.
Mr Robertson said:
“There are 21 local government wards that make up my constituency of Lichfield. In just one of them, Bagots and Needwood, they were subjected to 3,000 hours of sewage spills in just one year.
“Can the Secretary of State assure me that after 14 years of failure, this commission will leave nowhere to hide for criminal water bosses?”
Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said:
“That is absolutely [an] intention.”
The new commission will be chaired by Jon Cunliffe, former Deputy Bank of England Governor.
It will report back next year with recommendations to the government on how to tackle the challenge to restore orivers, lakes and seas to good health.
Launching the review, Mr Reed said:
“After years of neglect, our waterways are now in an unacceptable state and our water system urgently needs fixing.
“That is why we have launched a Water Commission to attract the investment we need to clean up our waterways and speed up infrastructure delivery.
“Following the commission’s conclusion, the government will introduce ambitious legislation to restore confidence in the sector once and for all.”
