Labour plan a local ad blitz if Tory MPs block plans to clean up Britain’s rivers.
The party plan to hold a binding vote on Tuesday to introduce a bill that would implement legally binding targets to reduce sewage dumping, and impose automatic fines.
Figures suggest 7,785 days’ worth of raw human sewage was dumped in Tory-held ‘red wall’ seats last year.
Analysis of Environment Agency data, broken down by constituency by campaign group Top of the Poops shows that in 2022, raw sewage was discharged into these ‘Red Wall’ seats for 186,861 hours, the equivalent of a continuous flow of sewage for a staggering 48 months.
Research also points to 35,219 sewage dumping events having taken place in ‘Red Wall’ constituencies last year. This equates to an average of 96 sewage dumps per day or a new sewage dump taking place every 14 minutes.
Last week Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner visited a park in Erewash which regularly sees its children's play area flooded with water containing raw sewage - an issue Labour has campaigned heavily on in recent months.
The ads, in the same format as their controversial campaign targeting the PM on crime, would read: “Do you think it’s right to allow raw sewage to be dumped into our rivers and beaches 800 times a day? Rishi Sunak does.”
And it’s understood Labour plans to target individual MPs who vote against the move with targeted online ads.
The ad continues: “Under the Tories, raw sewage is being dumped 824 times a day into British waters.
“Labour will end the Tory sewage scandal by introducing automatic fines for sewage dumping, mandatory monitoring of all sewage outlets and legally binding targets to clean up the water industry.”
