Ministers unlikely to take serious action over sewage pollution, activist says

Pollution warnings were put in place across more than 40 beaches and swimming spots in England and Wales earlier this week after heavy rain overwhelmed sewer systems, leading water companies to release sewage into the natural environment.

Alerts were still in place for beaches in Devon, Kent, Lancashire, Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Essex, Somerset and Norfolk as of Sunday afternoon.

Ministers are facing growing calls to clamp down on the water firms to ensure they invest money back into the UK’s water infrastructure.

However, Neil Cutts, an activist from Surfers Against Sewage, said he does not have the sense that anyone in the current or the incoming government is prepared to do anything to tackle the issue.

Speaking to Times Radio on Sunday, Mr Cutts said the overflows are happening on almost a weekly basis in some areas like Brighton and Cornwall, and not just when there is heavy rainfall.

Asked whether anyone in government appears prepared to respond, Mr Cutts said: “Unfortunately, no – not at this time because it’s not a new thing.

“Surfers Against Sewage, by the name, has been campaigning for this since the 90s.

“It’s got slightly better but it’s still not changed and unless there is some quite serious legislation brought in by the Government who is in power, it’s going to continue for the foreseeable future.”

On how water companies respond to Surfers Against Sewage’s calls for investment in the infrastructure, Mr Cutts said: “They tend to not listen, to be honest.

“They tend to hide because they are protected slightly by the Government as well – and a series of governments, not just the one that’s currently in power at the moment.”

Mr Cutts also said they get fined “peanuts” by the regulator Ofwat in comparison to what they make.

He said the water companies should put more filters onto the outfall pipes to prevent the worst of the pollution from being pumped into the sea, which includes sanitary products.

He claimed the main issue is underfunding to fix the problems, adding: “The water companies need to step up and say: ‘Yeah, we’re wrong here and we need to do something about it’.”

It comes after Labour accused the Government of allowing water companies to “cut corners” earlier this week.

Figures the party obtained from the Environment Agency through Freedom of Information requests showed that raw sewage has been pumped into UK waterways for a total of 9,427,355 hours since 2016.

The party also said the data shows a 2,553% increase in the number of monitored discharge hours between 2016 and 2021, arguing the situation is “drastically worsening” under the Conservatives.

Shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon said: “Whilst water companies are paying billions in dividends, the Tories have allowed them to cut corners and pump filthy raw sewage onto our playing fields and into our waters.

“Labour will put a stop to this disgraceful practice by ensuring there can be enforcement of unlimited fines, holding water company bosses legally and financially accountable for their negligence, and by toughening up regulations that currently allow the system to be abused.”

The Liberal Democrats said the problem was a “national scandal” as its analysis showed the 22 water company executives in the UK were paid £24.8 million, including £14.7 million in bonuses, benefits and incentives in 2021/2022.

Lib Dem environment spokesperson Tim Farron said: “These disgusting polluting habits have made beaches unsafe in the middle of the summer holidays and harmed precious British wildlife.

“Hosepipe bans could have been avoided this summer if these water company CEOs bothered to invest in their rusting pipes rather than stuffing profits in their pockets.

“They are putting profit over the environment. Frankly, the whole thing stinks.”

He added: “This Government is guilty by association for letting water companies get away with this.”

In response to the issue, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it has outlined the action it is taking.

Water minister Steve Double said: “We are the first government to take action to tackle sewage overflows.

“We have been clear that water companies’ reliance on overflows is unacceptable and they must significantly reduce how much sewage they discharge as a priority.

“This is on top of ambitious action we have already taken, including consulting on targets to improve water quality which will act as a powerful tool to deliver cleaner water, pushing all water companies to go further and faster to fix overflows.

“Work on tackling sewage overflows continues at pace and we will publish our plan in line with the September 1 statutory deadline.”

An Ofwat spokesperson said: “Nobody wants to see raw sewage being discharged into our watercourses, or closing our beaches.

“We have a live investigation into all wastewater companies in relation to wastewater treatment works, with cases currently open in relation to six companies.

“Where we find issues, we will act – in the last five years we have imposed enforcement penalties of more than £250 million on companies.

“In parallel to this investigation, we have called for companies to take urgent action to reduce use of storm overflows.”