Nicola Richards, Member of Parliament for West Bromwich East, has welcomed the Government’s commitment to enshrine a target to reduce water pollution from storm overflows into law.
In addition to legally binding targets, the Government will also introduce unlimited penalties so that polluters pay the price for their impact on the environment. Fines collected will be used to improve our waterways.
This announcement builds on the Storm Overflows plan, announced last August, which requires the largest infrastructure programme in water company history to tackle storm overflows, worth over £56bn. In April, £1.6 billion investment was brought forward to speed up vital water infrastructure projects, cutting thousands of overflow spills each year.
Mandatory monitoring has also been introduced on storm overflows, meaning that 100% of overflows will be monitored by the end of the year. Thanks to this monitoring, regulators can investigate and levy fines on water companies for illegally dumping sewage.
The Environment Secretary, Therese Coffey MP, has required water companies to produce a plan to resolve every overflow by the end of June. She said: “It was a Conservative government that will deliver 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.”
Commenting, Nicola Richards MP said: “People in the West Midlands rightly expect water companies to tackle this issue, or face statutory penalties. I have been working in Parliament to
ensure that water companies are held to account, and this announcement shows that the Government shares this view.
“Unfortunately, the other parties see this issue as an opportunity to play political games and misrepresent the facts. The Liberal Democrats latest gimmick would mean it would take over 500 years to fund their sewage overflow plans. Neither of them are fit to govern and it is this Government that is getting on with the serious job of governing and cleaning up our rivers and waterways for future generations.”