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

Industry physique Water UK stated campaigners had 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 least 301,091 times last year – a mean of 824 a day – based on Environment Agency (EA) information.

That represented a fall of virtually a fifth on 2021’s 372,533 spills, though the EA stated 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 beach in Cornwall, have fuelled disgust over the problem.

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

‘We are sorry’

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

“More ought to have been finished to deal with the problem of spillages sooner and the general public is correct 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 trade physique, which represents all of Britain’s water and wastewater firms, stated the money was along with a earlier dedication to take a position £3.1bn between 2020 and 2025.

It stated the additional £10bn might be spent this decade, with particulars revealed later this summer time.

Water UK stated the measures would come with enlarging and enhancing pipes, in addition to rising the capability of sewage remedy works, in order that infrastructure can higher address larger 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 influence on the atmosphere.

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

Apology ‘must be was motion’

Water UK stated it hoped that the package deal, if accredited by regulators, would lower sewage overflows by as much as 140,000 every year, in comparison with 2020 ranges.

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

In April Environment Secretary Therese Coffey introduced proposals for companies to face unlimited fines for sewage dumping and for efforts to scale 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 automatic fines for polluting firms.

Under present guidelines, water firms can discharge sewage from storm overflows, however solely during times of heavy rain and underneath strictly permitted situations.

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

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

“We have been pushing water firms 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 stated: “This apology by the water industry is not before time and I welcome it.

“The authorities has put the strictest targets ever on water firms to scale back sewage air pollution and demanded that water firms 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.”