Water companies apologise for sewage spills and splash £10bn to scrub up their act

Water and sewage companies in England have issued a public apology for “not acting quickly enough” on spills – and vowed to spend £10bn to scrub up their act.

Industry physique Water UK mentioned campaigners have been “right to be upset about the current quality of our rivers and beaches” because it introduced the package deal of funding on Thursday – which it claimed could be “the biggest modernisation of sewers since the Victorian era”.

Untreated sewage was pumped into England’s rivers and seas at the very least 301,091 instances final 12 months – a median of 824 a day – in response to Environment Agency (EA) information.

That represented a fall of virtually a fifth on 2021’s 372,533 spills, though the EA mentioned that had been “largely down to dry weather, not water company action”.

A string of current high-profile incidents, together with a sewage discharge at a picturesque seashore in Cornwall, have fuelled disgust over the problem.

It comes after the federal government unveiled plans final 12 months requiring companies to take a position £56bn in infrastructure to deal with spills by 2050.

‘We are sorry’

Water UK’s chair Ruth Kelly mentioned: “The message from the water and sewage industry today is clear – we are sorry.

“More ought to have been achieved to handle the problem of spillages sooner and the general public is true to be upset in regards to the present high quality of our rivers and seashores.”

She added: “We have listened and have an unprecedented plan to start to put it right. This problem cannot be fixed overnight, but we are determined to do everything we can to transform our rivers and seas in the way we all want to see.”

The business physique, which represents all of Britain’s water and wastewater corporations, mentioned the money was along with a earlier dedication to take a position £3.1bn between 2020 and 2025.

It mentioned the additional £10bn can be spent this decade, with particulars revealed later this summer season.

Water UK mentioned the measures would come with enlarging and bettering pipes, in addition to rising the capability of sewage therapy works, in order that infrastructure can higher address greater volumes of extra water.

Firms will additional set up the equal of hundreds of Olympic-sized swimming swimming pools to carry surges in rainwater – that will in any other case overload the system – and promised to deal with overflow spills in order that they’ve much less affect on the surroundings.

A brand new National Environment Data Hub may also present the general public with close to real-time info on all of England’s 15,000 sewage overflows for the primary time, as a way to “strengthen accountability, help the public to track progress and empower swimmers”.

Apology ‘must be become motion’

Water UK mentioned it hoped that the package deal, if accredited by regulators, would minimize sewage overflows by as much as 140,000 annually, in comparison with 2020 ranges.

It comes amid rising strain on companies and the federal government to handle air pollution in rivers and seas.

In April Environment Secretary Therese Coffey introduced proposals for companies to face limitless fines for sewage dumping and for efforts to cut back storm overflows to be enshrined in regulation.

But the federal government rejected a Commons vote pushed by Labour, supported by the Liberal Democrats, calling for automated fines for polluting companies.

Under present guidelines, water corporations can discharge sewage from storm overflows, however solely in periods of heavy rain and underneath strictly permitted situations.

However, campaigners have accused companies of discharging far more usually than they need to – together with when there was no rain.

A spokesperson for Ofwat, the water regulator, mentioned: “We welcome the apology from water companies and this now needs to be turned into action.

“We have been pushing water corporations to do extra, sooner, for his or her clients and for our waterways and seashores.

“We look forward to seeing the plans and how companies will step up performance.”

Water minister Rebecca Pow mentioned: “This apology by the water industry is not before time and I welcome it.

“The authorities has put the strictest targets ever on water corporations to cut back sewage air pollution and demanded that water corporations ship their largest ever infrastructure funding – £56bn.

“I am pleased that they are now taking action to deliver on this, but there is still a great deal more to do.”