Liz Truss said it was "disgraceful" that raw sewage was being dumped in rivers in a newly unearthed speech - despite making cuts accused of fuelling the problem when she was Environment Secretary.
The Tory leadership frontrunner has come under fire for presiding over £235million of savings to the Environment Agency budget during her 2014-2016 stint at the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Campaigners accused her of having "sewage on her hands" after Labour analysis showed human waste discharges in England and Wales had doubled from 14.7 per overflow in 2016 to 29.3 in 2021.
The increase came after "efficiency" savings left staff at the Environment Agency struggling to monitor the issue.
Back in 2014, the-then Environment Secretary said it was "disgraceful" that raw sewage was being dumped in the River Thames in a speech in 2014.
Addressing the right-wing Policy Exchange think tank, she said one of her first acts had been to approve the Thames Tideway Tunnel, a 25km "super sewer" in London.
She said: "It is disgraceful that in the 21st century raw sewage is put into the Thames on a weekly basis.
"This new tunnel will ensure this almost all ends, benefiting everyone along the river, especially anglers. It opens the Thames for more leisure opportunities and helps our booming tourist industry."
She said cleanliness standards had been raised, making the British seaside "an incomparably healthier place to swim".
The comments also have echoes of her widely mocked 2014 Tory conference speech, where she branded the level of cheese imports "a disgrace".
Last night, Ms Truss defended her cuts to the Environment Agency which are accused of fuelling a surge in sewage dumps.
She told a Tory hustings in Birmingham: "I am a great believer in value for money from public services.
"And believe me, there were plenty of things the Environment Agency were doing that they shouldn’t have been doing.”
The wannabe PM dodged the blame, complaining water regulators have "mission creep" and saying firms and regulator Ofwat were responsible.
She said “water companies need to be better at stopping leaks, they need to be better at dealing with pollution and we need to sort that out.”
On Ofwat, she added: "We should be putting that pressure on them.”
Labour called on ministers to “cut the crap” as sewage dumping on British beaches risks threatening Brits’ Bank Holiday weekend.
Shadow Tourism Minister Jeff Smith said: "The August Bank Holiday is a crucial weekend for the tourist trade yet the Tory sewage scandal puts that at risk.
“Our tourism industry was hit hard by Covid, and there were hopes of a bumper Summer to boost trade, yet the Conservative cost of living crisis means families are cutting back, and tourism firms are scared of sky high energy bills.
"This sewage scandal could break them with visitors staying away, and prices plummeting as a result."
