Rishi Sunak’s government is setting out a new clean water plan with a promise of stronger regulation and tougher enforcement for those who pollute rivers, lakes and beaches.
But Tory ministers were accused of “taking the public for fools” by offering only “hollow” promises to tackle Britain’s growing sewage scandal.
Environment secretary Therese Coffey – who has said companies could face unlimited penalties for dumping raw sewage – said over £1.6bn of investment to boost water quality would be brought forward.
The plan includes a consultation on a ban of plastic in wet wipes, and restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in textiles, cleaning products, paints and varnishes.
But Labour said the “sham” water plan was “a reheating of old, failed measures that simply give the green light for sewage dumping to continue for decades to come”.
And the Liberal Democrats accused the Tories of “all talk and no action” – pointing out that a proposal to ban plastic in wet wipes was first announced back in 2018.
It comes as it emerged that water companies in England dumped sewage onto England’s “blue flag” beaches – those deemed safe and environmentally friendly – a staggering 1,504 times last year.
The figures, based on Lib Dem analysis of the latest Environmental Agency data, show that the worst-affected blue flag beach was Blackpool Sands in Devon, where sewage was discharged 63 times last year.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said the Tory environment secretary had failed to take any meaningful action on polluters, despite being in the job for six months.
“Britain’s beaches are being ruined by profiteering water companies getting away with dumping sewage as the government has failed to act for years,” he said.
Ms Coffey has promised that money from “higher penalties” would be reinvested into a new water restoration fund to clean up waterways. The government plans to lift a cap of £250,000 for fines for water firms that release sewage into rivers and the sea.
Companies are allowed to discharge sewage in some limited circumstances – during heavy rainfall, for example. But firms can be acting illegally if they pump sewage during dry conditions, or if they fail to treat enough of the waste.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it has asked water companies to speed up investment in infrastructure to prevent sewage discharges, reduce nutrient pollution and improve the water supply’s resilience to drought.
Regulator Ofwat, considering approving 31 schemes worth £1.6bn, is accepting ideas from the public until 24 April.
Ms Coffey – set to lay out her department’s plans in a speech at the London Wetland Centre on Tuesday – said she “completely understands the concerns that people have about the health and resilience of our waters”.
The cabinet minister promised that “higher penalties taken from water company profits will be channelled back into the rivers, lakes and streams where it is needed”.
Ms Coffey added: “This is not straightforward, but I take this issue extremely seriously and things need to change. That’s why we have developed this plan and we are committed to delivering the progress that people want to see.”
Jim McMahon, the shadow environment secretary, said it was “the third sham of a Tory water plan since the summer”, adding: “There’s nothing in it that tells us how, if or when they will end the Tory sewage scandal.”
The Labour frontbencher argued that the promise of unlimited fines was “hollow”, claiming water companies “know that proper enforcement is held back by lengthy and complex investigations after the dumping has taken place”.
He said Labour would enforce mandatory monitoring and automatic fines at the point of dumping and put in place more “ambitious targets”.
Other government proposals include giving farmers £34m to improve pollution from slurry as well as £10m to fund more on-farm reservoirs and better irrigation equipment.
The government also wants to encourage water companies to install more smart meters in households to reduce water demand and to help rare chalk stream habitats with a £1m fund.
Ali Morse of The Wildlife Trusts urged the government to ensure that projects begin as soon as possible. “We need to take every opportunity to bring forward this essential investment if we are to stand any chance of halting nature’s decline by 2030, as the law requires and as society demands.”
Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the Tories “smell a local election in the air and are only acting in response to public pressure”, calling the measures “too little too late”.
