MPs pass controversial Environment Bill but Boris warned over ‘disgusting’ sewage dumping
Farmer speaks out over sewage being pumped into a local river
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In the Commons on Monday night, the MPs voted 283 to 163 on an amendment to the legislation. Following backlash over the amount of raw sewage dumped into the UK’s water by companies, the House of Lords put forward an amendment from independent peer, the Duke of Wellington, to put a legal duty on water companies and the Government. The altered amendment will place a legal duty on water companies to make a “progressive reduction” in sewage dumping but it does not go as far as the peer intended.
The Government has sparked criticism from campaigners and opposition MPs due to the amount of sewage dumped in rivers across the country.
Musician Feargal Sharkey told the BBC said it would be an act of “violence against the environment” if the plans go ahead.
He said: “Not one of our rivers is in good environmental health, with every single one polluted.
“And a lot of that is coming from the water companies.
“My perception is this is an attempt by government in a muddle and backed into a corner to get out of it, and it is a shambles.”
Former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron also criticised the legislation.
He said: “There are no targets in terms of volume or in terms of timescale, in which case that leaves water companies with the power to continue what they do now.
“This is something to get Conservative backbenchers off the hook rather than to give water companies the direction that they need.”
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“I am disgusted that there is raw sewage being dumped into Lake Windermere on 71 days consecutively in any given year.
“This will do nothing to stop that. Currently the water company dumps 40% of all the phosphates in Windermere.
“If this goes down to 39% there is no measure to say that is OK or not, so I assume that the water companies will think that it is OK.”
Initially, the peer’s amendment would have placed a legal duty on water companies to take reasonable steps to prevent sewage discharges.
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Environment minister Rebecca Pow said she will be watching their progress over the new clause.
She said: “There are important discussions to be had about the best way to address this important issue while protecting bill payers.
“And this very morning I called in the CEOs of all the water companies to a meeting and they assured me that they recognised the need for urgent action, and we must see better performance from them, and I will be watching this progress very closely – as indeed will the Secretary of State.”
Labour, however, claimed the amendment had forced the Government into a U-turn which did not go far enough.
Shadow Environment Secretary Luke Pollard said: “The amendment the minister has cited in lieu of the Duke of Wellington amendment is confined to storm overflows and not the sewage system as a whole.
“There’s no specific duty on Ofwat or the Environment Agency to ensure compliance – and there should be – and we need to have a focus on reduction on harm rather than adverse impacts.
“This looks like looking busy without making a real difference.”
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