The Government has been slammed for failing to stand up to water companies after it was confirmed bills are likely to rise to tackle discharges of raw sewage into rivers and seas.
Last week, water companies issued a collective apology for the problem, which has been thrust into the public consciousness in recent years thanks to campaign groups such as Surfers Against Sewage.
While there was a pledge to invest £10bn to implement a huge modernisation programme for the country's sewage system, there was a warning that the public would likely see their bills increase to foot the cost in the years to come.
Read more: Northumbrian Water confirms bills will need to rise to pay for sewage investment
The leader of Northumberland Labour, Coun Scott Dickinson, has called for water companies to absorb the costs after making millions of pounds in profit since privatisation. Coun Dickinson has now also criticised the Government for failing to protect families from increased costs.
He said: "This Conservative lot have given the green light to this in recent months - to continue this dreadful practice and not force change. The companies themselves are now apologising, but warning that any improvements will hit families’ pockets.
“The Conservatives blocked Labour's recent bill to try and force change, but it appears the companies themselves have decided to apologise and look to act based on the fact a Labour Government could be heading their way. The Conservatives should hold their heads in shame and protect families from this greed.”
Coun Dickinson was referring to Labour's Water Quality (Sewage Discharge) Bill, which would have required water companies to reduce discharges from storm overflows by 90% by the end of the decade. Companies would also face automatic financial penalties for sewage dumping.
However, following a three-hour debate last month, a Labour motion to bring in the legislation was voted down by 290 votes to 198. On the same day, the Government unveiled its own plans for targets to cut the level of sewage discharges.
Responding to Coun Dickinson's comments, a spokesman for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: "We have been very clear to water companies that we expect them to deliver more and regulators will be looking closely at their business plans to make sure they are meeting our targets without unduly impacting on customers’ bills.
“Our Plan for Water sets out increased investment, tougher enforcement and tighter regulation to tackle every source of river and sea pollution. We also recently consulted on giving regulators more powers to impose unlimited penalties to ensure polluters pay – and these fines are not allowed to be paid for through customers’ bills."
It was also explained that the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in August last year, set out "stringent targets" to protect both people and the environment. Its delivering would be the "largest infrastructure programme in water company history" - a total of £56bn in capital investment over 25 years.
The Government say there will be an estimated £12 increase a year in customer water bills between 2025 and 2030, but that there will be no impact before 2025. Action will be prioritised in particularly important areas, such as bathing waters.
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